Unsustainable fisheries practices carried out in large parts of the Amazon, Tocantins, and Orinoco basins have contributed to the decline in the populations of the Amazon River dolphins (
Inia
spp.), ...considered Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Amazon River dolphin byproducts are often obtained through unregulated fisheries and from stranded and incidentally caught individuals that are traded for the flesh and blubber used for
Calophysus macropterus
fisheries, traditional and other medicinal purposes, and more recently for human consumption. To identify localities of use of Amazon River dolphins, we conducted a systematic review of the related literature published since 1980, complemented with structured surveys of researchers that allowed the identification of 57 localities for uses of
Inia
(33 in the Amazon, two in the Tocantins, and 22 in the Orinoco basins), and two more on the Brazilian Atlantic coast, with recent reports of targeted consumption in the upper Orinoco River. Subsequently, the localities of use or bushmeat markets where Amazon River dolphin byproducts are trafficked were identified. This information was integrated with a kernel density analysis of the distribution of the
Inia
spp. populations establishing core areas. Our spatial analysis indicated that the use of
Inia
spp. is geographically widespread in the evaluated basins. It is urgent that decision-makers direct policies towards mitigating the socioeconomic and cultural circumstances associated with illegal practices affecting Amazon River dolphin populations in South America.
We report a new record for the South American coati, Nasua nasua (Linnaeus, 1766), based on a specimen from Sierra de Perijá, Zulia state, western Venezuela. This specimen represents the first record ...of the species for the state, increasing to 192 the number of mammals reported for Zulia. It also extends the species distribution in about 245 km northwest from the nearest known locality in Venezuela, and about 80 km from the nearest locality in Colombia.
There is a long history of exploitation of the South American river turtle Podocnemis expansa. Conservation efforts for this species started in the 1960s but best practices were not established, and ...population trends and the number of nesting females protected remained unknown. In 2014 we formed a working group to discuss conservation strategies and to compile population data across the species’ range. We analysed the spatial pattern of its abundance in relation to human and natural factors using multiple regression analyses. We found that > 85 conservation programmes are protecting 147,000 nesting females, primarily in Brazil. The top six sites harbour > 100,000 females and should be prioritized for conservation action. Abundance declines with latitude and we found no evidence of human pressure on current turtle abundance patterns. It is presently not possible to estimate the global population trend because the species is not monitored continuously across the Amazon basin. The number of females is increasing at some localities and decreasing at others. However, the current size of the protected population is well below the historical population size estimated from past levels of human consumption, which demonstrates the need for concerted global conservation action. The data and management recommendations compiled here provide the basis for a regional monitoring programme among South American countries.
The use of wildlife by residents of Maripa, Aripao, Puerto Cabello of Caura, Trinchera and Jabillal, located in the lower Caura River drainage, Orinoco River basin (Venezuela) was evaluated to help ...shape the basic guidelines applicable to regional management plans for these natural resources. 72 unstructured interviews and 668 surveys (June 2000 to May 2001) were made and helped to establish that these communities are mainly agricultural, with fishing occupying fourth place and hunting eighth in the economic activities of the sector. Hunting and fishing are two very important activities in the area, but they can´t be separated and hunting can be recognized as a sideline activity. The annual total biomass of bushmeat consumption was estimated at 76 tons and over 126 tons for fish. Weekly consumption of bushmeat per person was estimated at 468 g representing a protein intake of 93.6 g/week/person. When we consider all the protein sources evaluated, the average consumption estimated was 1.49 Kg/week/person, net intake of animal protein is 298 g/week/person. Of these 31,4% was contributed by the bushmeat, 51,1% from fish and 16,3% from farm animals. This suggests that pressure on wildlife fauna can increase, and that it is necessary to initiate management measures, such as environmental education, monitoring and control, and sustainable use plans for the most affected or critical species.
La mastofauna registrada para la Estrella Fluvial de Inírida se presenta en un listado taxonómico construido a partir de información generada en estudios de campo y revisión de colecciones. Para esta ...región específica de la Orinoquia colombiana se registran 86 especies de mamíferos pertenecientes a 11 órdenes y 28 familias. En esta zona prioritaria para la conservación en Colombia, se identifican 15 especies de mamíferos amenazados de acuerdo con las categorías nacionales. Según información reportada por las comunidades locales, 12 especies tienen asignado un valor de uso.
A binational checklist of the mammal fauna from the Orinoco river basin is consolidated, reporting 318 species distributed across 12 orders, 40 families and 156 genera. This diversity represents the ...76,8 % of the mammal species of Venezuela and the 68,7 % of Colombia. The order Chiroptera is the more representative with 150 species (47,5 %) followed by rodents with 77 species (24,4 %). The Guayana region is the more diverse while Deltaic region has the lowest richness value. The endangered categories considered by UICN and the Colombian and Venezuelan red books show that field work as well as deeper taxonomic and ecological research are essential for the widening of the mammal species distribution knowledge and conservation planning of priority areas for the Orinoco basin.
Data derived from the literature supplemented with new collections made in the Inírida Fluvial Star (15th to 27th February 2008) reveal a species richness of 470 fishes species grouped in 224 genera, ...40 families, and 10 orders. Its represents the higher species richness in the Orinoco River Basin. Orders with the largest numbers of species in the Star were Characiformes (237 species), Siluriformes (136 species), Perciformes (60 species), and Gymnotiformes (19 species), with the remaining 6 orders having from 1 to 7 species. At the family level, the Characidae has the greatest number of species (141 species), followed by the Cichlidae (55 species), Loricariidae (39 species), Pimelodidae (23 species), and Anostomidae (21 species); the remaining 35 families have 1 to 18 species. Present data indicate that 4 species are new records for the Orinoco River Basin and 19 are new for Colombia. The species richness by river was: 280 for the Inírida, 238 for Atabapo, 224 for Guaviare, and 82 for the Orinoco. In the Inírida Fluvial Star 335 species have commercial value as ornamentals, and 132 are harvested for food.
El criterio básico de la política educacional del Estado tiene como finalidad formar tanto a la nueva generación como capacitar a los técnicos y desarrollar en toda su plenitud su potencial ...intelectual, físico y espiritual; por este motivo se realizó un estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo y longitudinal en los hospitales maternos del Norte y Sur, así como en el militar "Dr. Joaquín Castillo Duany" de Santiago de Cuba, con el propósito de precisar, los resultados de la formación de los estudiantes de los cursos posbásico de Enfermería desde 1991 hasta 1996. El universo estuvo integrado por 415 estudiantes, con el mayor número en la especialidad de Cuidados Intensivos. Los datos se tabularon de forma manual y se usó el porcentaje como medida de resumen. Hubo predominio del sexo femenino y del grupo etario de 25-27 años. Desde 1993 hasta 1996, se produjo un incremento en los resultados obtenidos en los exámenes finales integrales. Entre las actividades educativas sobresalieron la higienización y las donaciones de sangre. La formación de este personal incidió en la elevación de la calidad del trabajo en el equipo de salud y, por ende, en el perfeccionamiento de los servicios de salud en todos los niveles de atención.
Cognitive decline is associated with gene expression changes in the brain, but the transcriptional mechanisms underlying memory impairments in cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), ...are largely unknown. Here, we aimed to elucidate relevant mechanisms responsible for transcriptional changes underlying early memory loss in AD by examining pathological, behavioral, and transcriptomic changes in control and mutant β-amyloid precursor protein (APPSw,Ind) transgenic mice during aging. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis using mouse microarrays revealed deregulation of a gene network related with neurotransmission, synaptic plasticity, and learning/memory in the hippocampus of APPSw,Ind mice after spatial memory training. Specifically, APPSw,Ind mice show changes on a cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB)-regulated transcriptional program dependent on the CREB-regulated transcription coactivator-1 (Crtc1). Interestingly, synaptic activity and spatial memory induces Crtc1 dephosphorylation (Ser151), nuclear translocation, and Crtc1-dependent transcription in the hippocampus, and these events are impaired in APPSw,Ind mice at early pathological and cognitive decline stages. CRTC1-dependent genes and CRTC1 levels are reduced in human hippocampus at intermediate Braak III/IV pathological stages. Importantly, adeno-associated viral-mediated Crtc1 overexpression in the hippocampus efficiently reverses Aβ-induced spatial learning and memory deficits by restoring a specific subset of Crtc1 target genes. Our results reveal a critical role of Crtc1-dependent transcription on spatial memory formation and provide the first evidence that targeting brain transcriptome reverses memory loss in AD.
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