RESUMO
Anthonomus grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) survives on alternative diets; however, this induces reproductive diapause. The objective was to evaluate the morphology and morphometry of the reproductive tract of this weevil after feeding on alternative diets. The experimental design was completely randomized with 160 replications and treatments arranged in a factorial design 3 × 3, represented by A. grandis adults fed on 3 food types (fragments of banana (T1) or orange (T2) endocarp, or with cotton squares of cultivar BRS 286 (T3, control)) and three evaluation periods (30, 60, and 90 days) and after each of these periods they were fed with cotton squares for 10 days. The reproductive tract of 100% of A. grandis females fed banana endocarp, orange endocarp, and cotton squares for 30 and 60 days and then cotton squares were morphologically adequate for reproduction, and after 90 days, only 50% of those fed cotton squares were in this condition. The length of the ovarioles and the width of the mature oocyte were greater for A. grandis fed on cotton squares and smaller in those with banana and orange endocarps. Histological sections reveal that male testes even with strong degenerative signals are already producing spermatozoa. On the other hand, females displayed ovaries with nurse cells in the tropharium and some maturing oocytes in the vitellarium. The body length was longer and the testis area and diameter smaller in males fed on cotton squares than in those with banana and orange endocarp. Anthonomus grandis females fed for ≥90 days with alternative food sources do not recover the functionality of their reproductive tract, even after consuming, for 10 days, a diet that favors reproduction. On the other hand, the males remain with their reproductive organs functional with this condition.
RESUMO
Aspergillus fumigatus is an important fungal pathogen and the main etiological agent of aspergillosis, a disease characterized by a noninvasive process that can evolve to a more severe clinical manifestation, called invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA), in immunocompromised patients. The antifungal arsenal to threat aspergillosis is very restricted. Azoles are the main therapeutic approach to control IPA, but the emergence of azole-resistant A. fumigatus isolates has significantly increased over recent decades. Therefore, new strategies are necessary to combat aspergillosis, and drug repurposing has emerged as an efficient and alternative approach for identifying new antifungal drugs. Here, we used a screening approach to analyze A. fumigatus in vitro susceptibility to 1,127 compounds. A. fumigatus was susceptible to 10 compounds, including miltefosine, a drug that displayed fungicidal activity against A. fumigatus. By screening an A. fumigatus transcription factor null library, we identified a single mutant, which has the smiA (sensitive to miltefosine) gene deleted, conferring a phenotype of susceptibility to miltefosine. The transcriptional profiling (RNA-seq) of the wild-type and ΔsmiA strains and chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to next-generation sequencing (ChIP-Seq) of an SmiA-tagged strain exposed to miltefosine revealed genes of the sphingolipid pathway that are directly or indirectly regulated by SmiA. Sphingolipid analysis demonstrated that the mutant has overall decreased levels of sphingolipids when growing in the presence of miltefosine. The identification of SmiA represents the first genetic element described and characterized that plays a direct role in miltefosine response in fungi. IMPORTANCE The filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus causes a group of diseases named aspergillosis, and their development occurs after the inhalation of conidia dispersed in the environment. Very few classes of antifungal drugs are available for aspergillosis treatment, e.g., azoles, but the emergence of global resistance to azoles in A. fumigatus clinical isolates has increased over recent decades. Repositioning or repurposing drugs already available on the market is an interesting and faster opportunity for the identification of novel antifungal agents. By using a repurposing strategy, we identified 10 different compounds that impact A. fumigatus survival. One of these compounds, miltefosine, demonstrated fungicidal activity against A. fumigatus. The mechanism of action of miltefosine is unknown, and, aiming to get more insights about it, we identified a transcription factor, SmiA (sensitive to miltefosine), important for miltefosine resistance. Our results suggest that miltefosine displays antifungal activity against A. fumigatus, interfering in sphingolipid biosynthesis.
Assuntos
Antifúngicos/farmacologia , Aspergillus fumigatus/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismo , Ensaios de Triagem em Larga Escala , Fosforilcolina/análogos & derivados , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequenas/farmacologia , Esfingolipídeos/metabolismo , Animais , Antifúngicos/uso terapêutico , Aspergilose/tratamento farmacológico , Aspergilose/microbiologia , Aspergillus fumigatus/química , Aspergillus fumigatus/patogenicidade , Farmacorresistência Fúngica , Larva/efeitos dos fármacos , Larva/microbiologia , Testes de Sensibilidade Microbiana , Mariposas/efeitos dos fármacos , Mariposas/microbiologia , Fenótipo , Fosforilcolina/farmacologia , Fosforilcolina/uso terapêutico , VirulênciaRESUMO
Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is a life-threatening fungal infection especially in the immunocompromised patients. The low diversity of available antifungal drugs coupled with the emergence of antifungal resistance has become a worldwide clinical concern. The echinocandin Caspofungin (CSP) is recommended as a second-line therapy but resistance and tolerance mechanisms have been reported. However, how the fungal cell articulates the response to CSP is not completely understood. This work provides a detailed characterization of ZnfA, a transcription factor (TF) identified in previous screening studies that is involved in the A. fumigatus responses to calcium and CSP. This TF plays an important role in the regulation of iron homeostasis and cell wall organization in response to high CSP concentrations as revealed by Chromatin Immunoprecipitation coupled to DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq) analysis. Furthermore, ZnfA acts collaboratively with the key TF CrzA in modulating the response to calcium as well as cell wall and osmotic stresses. This study therefore describes the existence of an additional, previously unknown TF that bridges calcium signaling and the CSP cellular response and further exposes the complex connections that exist among different pathways which govern stress sensing and signaling in A. fumigatus.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: According to the biophilia hypothesis, an emotional affiliation with nature has been inherited during human biocultural evolution. Research on beekeeping can contribute to the scientific understanding of the influence of emotions in the human-nature relationship, since this activity provides concrete experiences of beneficial interaction between the human being and the environment by stimulating conservation-friendly values among practitioners. In this study, we investigated motivations and preferences driving beekeepers' choices. We hypothesized that emotional criteria would be the main motivators in choosing to include beekeeping into small-scale farming systems. We also assumed that, once beekeeping has been chosen, the preference among species of bees for raising would also be influenced mainly by emotional criteria. METHODS: Data were collected from free lists and semi-structured interviews with 52 keepers of stingless bees from Sítio Xixá in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The content analysis technique was used to analyze data from interviews. The underlying criteria for motivation and preference quoted in the free lists were analyzed with Smith's Salience Index. RESULTS: Emotional and esthetic criteria were the most salient motivations for choosing beekeeping as one of the activities in small-scale farming systems. On the other hand, honey productivity and bee behavior were the most salient criteria for the preference for certain bee species to be kept. CONCLUSIONS: Emotional criterion had an especially notable influence on the motives for practicing beekeeping, but not on the preference of species to be raised. This demonstrates that the scenario under study represents a panorama of multiple influences in which emotions are one, but not the only, important component. Finally, our results indicate that the emotional domain should be taken into account in environmental education efforts and in the planning of bee management and nature conservation policies.
Assuntos
Criação de Abelhas , Comportamento de Escolha , Emoções , Motivação , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-IdadeRESUMO
Abstract: In detritus-based trophic systems, springtails, dung beetles, saprophagous calyptrate flies and termites consume and fragment organic matter and control populations of decomposer microorganisms, exerting a strong influence on energy and nutrient fluxes. A faunal inventory of these four groups of hexapods was performed in Serra de Santa Catarina (SSC), an area of arboreal-shrub caatinga located in the state of Paraíba, with the purpose of characterizing the assemblages of these taxa, and highlighting their unique links to the local ecosystem. Samplings were performed in May, 2014, and April, 2015, both during the rainy season. Standard sampling protocols for biodiversity inventory of the various taxa were used, including both active and passive sampling methods. In general, 114 species of hexapods were captured, with 26 species of springtails, 20 dung beetles, 30 saprophagous calyptrate flies and 38 termites, with sampling sufficiency varying from 69.5 to 96.8% of total estimated richness. Species richness of the groups are among the highest recorded for a single area of Caatinga, with some taxa being recorded for the first time for the domain. Several morphospecies had indeterminate taxonomic status, especially springtails and termites, and are quite likely new species to science. The structure of the assemblages of springtails, dung beetles, saprophagous calyptrate flies and termites recorded in SSC, suggest that this conserved area is unique within the highly impacted landscape of Caatinga, and has great potential for the conservation of biodiversity of this domain in the Northeast Region of Brazil.
Resumo: No sistema trófico baseado em detritos, os colêmbolos, besouros escarabeíneos, moscas saprófagas e térmitas atuam no consumo e fragmentação da matéria orgânica e no controle das populações de microrganismos decompositores, exercendo forte influência nos fluxos de energia e nutrientes. Um inventário faunístico desses quatro grupos de hexápodes foi realizado na Serra de Santa Catarina (SSC), uma área de Caatinga arbóreo-arbustiva localizada no Estado da Paraiba, com intuito de caracterizar as taxocenoses desses táxons, salientando as suas peculiaridades ligadas ao ecossistema local. As coletas foram realizadas em maio/2014 e abril/2015, durante o período chuvoso na região. De acordo com o táxon, foram utilizados protocolos amostrais padronizados para inventários de biodiversidade, com métodos passivos e ativos de coleta. No geral, 114 espécies de hexápodes foram capturadas, sendo 26 de colêmbolos, 20 de besouros escarabeíneos, 30 de dípteros e 38 de térmitas, com suficiência amostral variando de 69,5 a 96.8% da total estimada. A riqueza de espécies por grupo está entre as maiores para uma única área de Caatinga, com alguns táxons sendo registrados pela primeira vez para o domínio. Especialmente para os colêmbolos e térmitas, várias morfoespécies tiveram seus status taxonômicos indeterminados, havendo elevada possibilidade de serem nova para a ciência. As estruturas e funcionalidades das taxocenoses de colêmbolos, besouros escarabeíneos, moscas saprófagas e térmitas registradas na SSC, sugerem que esse ecossistema é singular, dentro de um cenário generalizado de impacto antrópico presente na Caatinga, e possui um elevado potencial para a conservação da biodiversidade desse domínio no nordeste brasileiro.
RESUMO
Partamona seridoensis is an endemic stingless bee from the Caatinga, a Neotropical dry forest in northeastern Brazil. Like other stingless bees, this species plays an important ecological role as a pollinator. The aim of the present study was to investigate the genetic structure and evolutionary history of P. seridoensis across its current geographic range. Workers from 84 nests from 17 localities were analyzed for COI and Cytb genic regions. The population structure tests (Bayesian phylogenetic inference, AMOVA and haplotype network) consistently characterized two haplogroups (northwestern and eastern), with little gene flow between them, generating a high differentiation between them as well as among the populations within each haplogroup. The Mantel test revealed no isolation by distance. No evidence of a potential geographic barrier in the present that could explain the diversification between the P. seridoensis haplogroups was found. However, Pleistocene climatic changes may explain this differentiation, since the initial time for the P. seridoensis lineages diversification took place during the mid-Pleistocene, specifically the interglacial period, when the biota is presumed to have been more associated with dry conditions and had more restricted, fragmented geographical distribution. This event may have driven diversification by isolating the two haplogroups. Otherwise, the climatic changes in the late Pleistocene must not have drastically affected the population dynamics of P. seridoensis, since the Bayesian Skyline Plot did not reveal any substantial fluctuation in effective population size in either haplogroup. Considering its importance and the fact that it is an endemic bee from a very threatened Neotropical dry forest, the results herein could be useful to the development of conservation strategies for P. seridoensis.
Assuntos
Abelhas/genética , Mudança Climática , Animais , Teorema de Bayes , Abelhas/classificação , Evolução Biológica , DNA Mitocondrial/química , DNA Mitocondrial/genética , DNA Mitocondrial/metabolismo , Florestas , Fluxo Gênico , Variação Genética , Haplótipos , Filogenia , Filogeografia , Dinâmica Populacional , Análise de Sequência de DNARESUMO
Nos últimos anos, o desenvolvimento da tecnologia tem modificado a sociedade em todos os setores. Na área da saúde, especificamente a informática tem contribuído de forma significativa, proporcionando resultados favoráveis para profissionais da saúde, usuários e gestão. Este estudo, de caráter exploratório descritivo, pautado em pesquisa bibliográfica, analisando artigos, teses e dissertações, pretende verificar e avaliar a contribuição da implantação de prontuário eletrônico do paciente (PEP), identificando suas vantagens e desvantagens para a instituição de saúde. Pode-se concluir que, embora haja necessidade de um grande investimento inicial na implantação do prontuário eletrônico, no decorrer do tempo a implantação do PEP pode se traduzir em vantagens para a gestão hospitalar.
In recent years, the development of technology has changed the society in all sectors. In the health area, specifically information technology has contributed significantly, providing favorable results for health professionals, users and administration. This study, a descriptive exploratory one, based on literature review, analyzes articles, theses and dissertations to assess and evaluate the contribution of the implementationof electronic health record, and to identify its advantages and disadvantages for health institution. It can be concluded that although there is need for a large initial investment in the implementation of electronic health record, over time its implementation can be translated into advantages for hospital administration.
Assuntos
Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Sistemas de Informação em Atendimento Ambulatorial , Eficiência , Registros de Saúde Pessoal , Projetos de Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação , Sistemas de Registro de Ordens Médicas , Sistemas Computadorizados de Registros Médicos , Pessoal de Saúde , Política Pública , Gestão da Qualidade TotalRESUMO
Gene variation and the differentiation of two populations of Partamona seridoensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) from the Caatinga biome, a semiarid ecosystem unique to Brazil, were estimated through allozymic and microsatellite analyses. These populations exhibited similar low degrees of enzyme gene variation. Observed genotype frequencies at the allozyme and microsatellite loci were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the two populations. Both markers demonstrated that the two populations are not genetically homogeneous and must be considered distinct populations. The occurrence of private alleles at the allozyme and microsatellite loci corroborates this differentiation, sustaining the hypothesis of a low level of interpopulation gene flow. The phenotypic segregations clearly demonstrated that the progeny inside each nest were the result of mating between the queen of the colony and only one male.
Assuntos
Abelhas/genética , Variação Genética , Alelos , Animais , Brasil , Frequência do Gene , Genética Populacional , Genótipo , Isoenzimas/genética , Masculino , Repetições de Microssatélites , FenótipoRESUMO
O Hospital Estadual de Mirandópolis (HEM), localizado na região noroeste do Estado de São Paulo, com atendimento aos usuários do SUS e aos municípios que compõem o Departamento Regional de Saúde de Araçatuba estabeleceu, entre as suas ações de humanização, a implantação do Programa de Humanização no Pré-Natal e Nascimento (PHPN), instituído pelo Ministério da Saúde. Iniciaram-se então, em fevereiro de 2008, encontros denominados "Chá da Gestante", como parte do processo de acolhimento e valorização deste ser singular e multiplural. O projeto consiste em receber as gestantes (e seus acompanhantes) dos municípios de referência no HEM, antes da internação, preferencialmente no sétimo mês de gestação, para conhecerem as dependências e rotinas realizadas no parto, em todas as fases, com orientações sobre os procedimentos, com consequente diminuição do parto cesárea, e da possibilidade de mortalidade infantil. Trabalho possível através da construção de redes participativas, com equipes multiprofissionais do HEM e dos municípios da circunscrição atendidos pelo Hospital, com pactuação entre os diferentes níveis de gestão do SUS e da Humanização do Parto (gestores, trabalhadores da saúde e usuários) e o reconhecimento dessa mulher que gesta e pari, como sujeito ativo e protagonista das ações de saúde.