A large scale temporal and spatial environmental DNA biodiversity survey of marine vertebrates in Brazil following the Fundão tailings dam failure.

Seawater contains a wealth of genetic information, representing the biodiversity of numerous species residing within a particular marine habitat. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding offers a cost effective, non-destructive method for large scale monitoring of environments, as diverse taxonomic groups are detected using metabarcoding assays. A large-scale eDNA monitoring program of marine vertebrates was conducted across three sampling seasons (Spring 2018, Autumn 2019; Spring 2019) in coastal waters of Brazil.

Bayesian Networks to Compare Pest Control Interventions on Commodities Along Agricultural Production Chains.

The production of an agricultural commodity involves a sequence of processes: planting/growing, harvesting, sorting/grading, postharvest treatment, packing, and exporting. A Bayesian network has been developed to represent the level of potential infestation of an agricultural commodity by a specified pest along an agricultural production chain. It reflects the dependency of this infestation on the predicted level of pest challenge, the anticipated susceptibility of the commodity to the pest, the level of impact from pest control measures as designed, and any variation from that due to uncertainty in measure efficacy.

Characteristics and predictors of women who obtain rescreening for sexually transmitted infections using the www.iwantthekit.org screening programme.

Professional organizations recommend rescreening chlamydia-infected women. The iwantthekit Internet-screening programme offered rescreening opportunities by using iwantthekit. Mailed, home-collected vaginal swabs were tested for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and trichomoniasis by nucleic acid amplification tests.

Trichomonas vaginalis infection in women who submit self-obtained vaginal samples after internet recruitment.

Background: Submission of self-obtained vaginal samples (SOVs) collected at home could remove barriers that women face in getting tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Internet recruitment of SOVs is highly acceptable.

Methods: Sexually active women ≥14 years were recruited by an educational Internet program, available at: www.

Chlamydia trachomatis age-specific prevalence in women who used an internet-based self-screening program compared to women who were screened in family planning clinics.

Objectives: To determine whether women who collect self-collected vaginal swabs at home demonstrated a higher positivity of Chlamydia trachomatis than women in family planning clinics.

Methods: Collection kits for vaginal swabs were internet requested, collected at home, and mailed to a laboratory for testing; questionnaires were completed about acceptability and sexual risk history. Infected women received treatment at participating clinics.

Health, inequality and the politics of genes.

Research into the possible genetic basis of health inequalities between different ethnic or racial groups raises many scientific, ethical and political concerns. Proponents of such research point to the possible benefits for marginalised groups of understanding genetic influences on health outcomes; opponents indicate the potential social costs, citing historical use of Darwinian concepts to explain and justify inequalities between different peoples. Many health researchers may avoid the subject due to its potential for controversy--e.

Internet-based screening for sexually transmitted infections to reach nonclinic populations in the community: risk factors for infection in men.

Background: Internet-based screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has been acceptable to women, and can reach high-risk populations. No prior published data describe internet-based screening for Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis in men. We studied whether internet-based screening was acceptable and reached a high-risk population, and what risk factors were associated with STI positivity.

Info-gap theory and robust design of surveillance for invasive species: the case study of Barrow Island.

Surveillance for invasive non-indigenous species (NIS) is an integral part of a quarantine system. Estimating the efficiency of a surveillance strategy relies on many uncertain parameters estimated by experts, such as the efficiency of its components in face of the specific NIS, the ability of the NIS to inhabit different environments, and so on. Due to the importance of detecting an invasive NIS within a critical period of time, it is crucial that these uncertainties be accounted for in the design of the surveillance system.

After the smoke has cleared--reflections on Scotland's tobacco control legislation.

This article reflects on the successful introduction of tobacco control legislation in Scotland. It locates the need for such an approach within the broader context of Scotland's poor smoking-related health record, and traces the development of policy thinking from initial scepticism and caution to later widespread endorsement and effective introduction. The considerable benefits achieved in terms of air quality improvement, avoidance of adverse health outcomes and broader policy empowerment are described.

Flow cytometry of the Side Population: tips & tricks.

Background: The Side Population (SP) has become an important hallmark for the definition of the stem cell compartment, especially in the detection of these cells and in their physical isolation by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). SP cells are CD34neg and were discovered using ultraviolet excitation based on the efflux of Hoechst 33342 (Ho342). Although the method works as originally described, we believe that this method is difficult for most investigators.

[Retroperitoneal fibromatosis: report of a case].

We report a 42 years old female that presented with abdominal pain and no palpable mass. Imaging abdominal ultrasound, CAT scan and magnetic resonance showed a solid tumor located in the retroperitoneum. The patient was operated on excising the tumor.

A new class of selective and potent inhibitors of neuronal nitric oxide synthase.

The synthesis and SAR of a series of 6-(4-(substituted)phenyl)-2-aminopyridines as inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase are described. Compound 3a from this series shows potent and selective inhibition of the human nNOS isoform, with pharmacokinetics sufficient to provide in vivo inhibition of nNOS activity.

Causal beliefs and acute psychiatric hospital admission.

Causal beliefs regarding the onset of psychiatric disorder and treatment expectations for clients admitted to a psychiatric unit were examined from the points of view of the clients themselves, their relatives and staff. Results suggested that these beliefs were influenced by the admission itself. Those clients who had been admitted previously held significantly higher biological causal beliefs than those who had been admitted for the first time; as compared to staff who did not distinguish between the two groups in this way.

Contrast discrimination at high contrasts reveals the influence of local light adaptation on contrast processing.

Previous measurements of contrast discrimination threshold, delta C, as a function of pedestal contrast, C, for sine-wave gratings have shown a power law relationship between delta C and C at suprathreshold levels of C. However, these studies have rarely used contrasts greater than 50%. Whittle (1986), using incremental and decremental patches, found that delta C increased with C only up to about 50%.

Antiviral activity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease inhibitors in a single cycle of infection: evidence for a role of protease in the early phase.

The antiviral activities of two substrate-based inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease, UK-88,947 and Ro 31-8959, were studied in acute infections. H9 and HeLaCD4-LTR/beta-gal cells were infected either with HIV-1IIIB or a replication-defective virus, HIV-gpt(HXB-2). Both inhibitors were capable of blocking early steps of HIV-1 replication if added to cells prior to infection.

Protein structure--based drug design.

Design cycles will undoubtedly play an increasingly important role in drug discovery in the coming years, as the amount of structural information on protein targets continues to rise. However, the traditional method of drug discovery, based upon random screening and systematic modification of leads by medicinal chemistry techniques, will probably not be abandoned completely because it has a potentially important advantage over more structure-based methods--namely, leads identified in this way are unlikely to show a close resemblance to the natural ligand or substrate. They may, therefore, have advantages in terms of patent novelty, selectivity, or pharmacokinetic profile.

Spatial integration and sensitivity changes in the human rod visual system.

1. The factor by which increment threshold rises with increasing background intensity is less if the target is small than if it is large. The difference is usually attributed to a reduction in the area over which visual signals are integrated as the visual system light adapts.

Two separate neural mechanisms of brightness induction.

A particular rate of quantal absorption by photoreceptors may result in a dim or an intense percept, depending on light stimulating other parts of the retina. The brightness of an object in a natural scene, therefore, depends on the amount of light reflected from the object in comparison to light from other parts of the scene. We show this phenomenon is mediated by two separate neural mechanisms at distinct levels of the visual system.

Brightness, discriminability and the "crispening effect".

Subjects adjusted the luminances, L, of 16 or 25 circles, all visible at the same time on a computer monitor, to make equal-interval brightness series. The background was black, white or grey. The luminance steps between adjacent circles behaved like the luminance discrimination thresholds of Whittle, P.

A potential vaccine for cocaine abuse prophylaxis.

Presently, there are estimated to be 1.5 to 2.0 million individuals infected with HIV-1 in the U.

Anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 activity of sulfated monosaccharides: comparison with sulfated polysaccharides and other polyions.

Previously, the anti-human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) activities were reported of four sulfated polysaccharides: dextran sulfate, pentosane polysulfate, chondroitin sulfate, and heparin sulfate. In the present study, the anti-HIV-1 activities of several other sulfated polysaccharides, monosaccharides, neutral polysaccharides, and polypeptides were evaluated. Anti-HIV-1 activities of these various agents were measured by four different assays: (1) HIV-1-induced syncytia formation; (2) infectivity of cell-free HIV-1 after preincubation with the putative anti-HIV-1 agent; (3) protective ability of the agents for target CD4+ cells, and (4) anti-reverse transcriptase activity.

The 3-D structure of HIV-1 proteinase and the design of antiviral agents for the treatment of AIDS.

A proteinase is essential for replication of HIV. Cloning and chemical synthesis have provided a sufficient supply of HIV-1 proteinase for the determination of its three-dimensional structure. Analogies between the structures of HIV-1 proteinase and the mammalian enzyme renin, which is involved in the control of blood pressure, have given important clues concerning the design of specific inhibitors that have antiviral activity.

Discovery of fluconazole, a novel antifungal agent.

Fluconazole, 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-1,3-bis(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-2-propanol, is the result of a research program aimed at the development of a broad-spectrum antifungal agent active by both the oral and the intravenous routes for the treatment of superficial and systemic infections. The program began in 1978, and azole derivatives were chosen as a starting point because they were generally well tolerated and offered the advantage of a selective mode of action--inhibition of fungal sterol C-14 demethylation. Initial investigations focused on imidazole derivatives, but attention soon switched to triazole analogues because of their reduced susceptibility to metabolic activity.