There are only a few series in the literature on acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) in children.
the aims of this study were to perform (i) a prospective clinical/imaging study (1992-2009) ...on ADEM in children consecutively referred to our institution in Catania, Italy, and (ii) to undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of published ADEM pediatric cohorts (>10 cases).
We identified 17 patients with ADEM (incidence <10 years of age=1.1 per 100 000 person-years). 15 previously published cohorts were compared with our cohort: (i) systematically reviewed (750 cases); and (ii) meta-analyzed (492/750 cases). The 17 patients had the following characteristics: (a) male-to-female ratio, 1.4 (vs. 1.2-1.3 in previous cohorts); (b) mean age at presentation, 3.6 years (vs. 7.1 years in previous cohorts); (c) specific preceding triggering factor, 88% (vs. 69-79% in previous cohorts); (d) the most common initial signs were ataxia, seizures, headache, and thalamic syndrome; (e) brain imaging revealed >3 lesions in 100% (vs. 92% in previous cohorts); (f) the outcome was good in 94% (vs. 70-75% in previous cohorts); and (g) 12% relapsed once (vs. 18% in previous cohorts).
ADEM is generally a benign condition that mosly affects boys more than girls and rarely recurs.
We measure the lifetime of the $D_s^+$ meson using a data sample of 207 fb$^{-1}$ collected by the Belle II experiment running at the SuperKEKB asymmetric-energy $e^+ e^-$ collider. The lifetime is ...determined by fitting the decay-time distribution of a sample of $116\times 10^3$ $D_s^+\rightarrow\phi\pi^+$ decays. Our result is $\tau^{}_{D^+_s} = (498.7\pm 1.7\,^{+1.1}_{-0.8})$ fs, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. This result is significantly more precise than previous measurements.
The construction of reservoirs is a common practice in the world. These systems modify the hydric landscape and alter the flow of rivers, becoming lotic environments in lentic. Here we investigated ...the structure and spatial distribution of rotifers along a tropical reservoir. We sampled four points in the Pedra do Cavalo Reservoir, Bahia, Brazil, bimonthly, between August 2014 and June 2015. We registered more than 70 taxa distributed in 17 families, with the majority of species belonging to the Lecanidae, Brachionidae and Trichocercidae families. The species rarefaction curve did not achieve a total asymptote, indicating that species richness in the reservoir is higher than what was registered. Based in the species frequency of occurrence, we identified 48 rare species, 16 common species, five constant species and one frequent species. The highest beta diversity values were registered in riverine P1 (0.513) and intermediate P2 (0.503), although there were no significant differences between the sampling points. Despite the high abundance values in P1, P2 and P3 no significant differences were found between the studied points. Thus, this study substantially increases the knowledge on the rotifer community in the Paraguaçu River and contributes to future studies that focus on biodiversity, ecology and conservation in the Brazilian reservoir ecosystems.
Abstract Pesticides have reached aquatic ecosystems and have caused numerous impacts on organisms. The present study aimed to assess the sensitivity of Daphnia similis Straus 1820 and ...Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (Korshikov) F.Hindák to three commercial pesticides with different active ingredients: Siptran 500SC® (atrazine), Dimilin® (diflubenzuron), and Aproach Prima® (picoxystrobin + cyproconazole). For this purpose, we performed acute toxicity tests on these organisms. The compound most toxic to D. similis was the insecticide Dimilin® (toxic up to 5 μg/L of the active ingredient), followed by the fungicide Aproach Prima® (48h-EC50: 47.33 μg of the active ingredients/L) and the herbicide Siptran 500SC® (48h-EC50: 534.69 mg of the active ingredient/L). In contrast, Siptran 500SC® was the most toxic compound (96h-IC50: 52.61 μg/L) to P. subcapitata, followed by Aproach Prima® (96h-IC50: 164.73 μg/L) and Dimilin® (non-toxic up to 1 g/L). The toxicity of the fungicide to algae and microcrustaceans demonstrates that compounds developed for certain organisms are able to affect others, indicating the relevance of conducting ecotoxicological tests on different organisms.
The construction of reservoirs is a common practice in the world. These systems modify the hydric landscape and alter the flow of rivers, becoming lotic environments in lentic. Here we investigated ...the structure and spatial distribution of rotifers along a tropical reservoir. We sampled four points in the Pedra do Cavalo Reservoir, Bahia, Brazil, bimonthly, between August 2014 and June 2015. We registered more than 70 taxa distributed in 17 families, with the majority of species belonging to the Lecanidae, Brachionidae and Trichocercidae families. The species rarefaction curve did not achieve a total asymptote, indicating that species richness in the reservoir is higher than what was registered. Based in the species frequency of occurrence, we identified 48 rare species, 16 common species, five constant species and one frequent species. The highest beta diversity values were registered in riverine P1 (0.513) and intermediate P2 (0.503), although there were no significant differences between the sampling points. Despite the high abundance values in P1, P2 and P3 no significant differences were found between the studied points. Thus, this study substantially increases the knowledge on the rotifer community in the Paraguacu River and contributes to future studies that focus on biodiversity, ecology and conservation in the Brazilian reservoir ecosystems. Keywords: plankton, rotifera, beta diversity, longitudinal distribution. A construcao de reservatorios e uma pratica comum no mundo. Esses sistemas modificam a paisagem hidrica e alteram o fluxo dos rios, tornando-se ambientes loticos em lenticos. Aqui investigamos a estrutura e distribuicao espacial de rotiferos ao longo de um reservatorio tropical. Foram amostrados quatro pontos no Reservatorio da Pedra do Cavalo, Bahia, Brasil, bimestralmente, entre agosto de 2014 e junho de 2015. Registramos mais de 70 taxons distribuidos em 17 familias, com a maioria das especies pertencentes as familias Lecanidae, Brachionidae e Trichocercidae. A curva de rarefacao das especies nao alcancou uma assintota total, indicando que a riqueza de especies no reservatorio e superior a registrada. Com base na frequencia de ocorrencia das especies, identificamos 48 especies raras, 16 especies comuns, cinco especies constantes e uma especie frequente. Os maiores valores de diversidade beta foram registrados no ribeirinho P1 (0,513) e no intermediario P2 (0,503), embora nao houvesse diferencas significativas entre os pontos de amostragem. Apesar dos altos valores de abundancia em P1, P2 e P3, nao foram encontradas diferencas significativas entre os pontos estudados. Assim, este estudo aumenta substancialmente o conhecimento sobre a comunidade de rotiferos no rio Paraguacu e contribui para estudos futuros que enfocam biodiversidade, ecologia e conservacao nos ecossistemas de reservatorios brasileiros. Palavras-chave: plancton, rotifera, diversidade beta, distribuicao longitudinal.
A sensitive and selective method to determine gold in ore samples was developed. It was based upon gold extraction from hydrochloric acid medium by unloaded polyether type polyurethane foam (PUF). ...After that direct measurement on the solid sorbent by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) was done. The main parameters that control the gold sorption on PUF were evaluated. HCl concentration, sorption kinetic, amount of PUF and influence of foreign ions are some examples of these parameters. No variation in the gold system sorption was observed in the concentration range of 10−2 to 1mol L−1 of HCl. A 0.3mol L−1 HCl concentration was selected. The sorption kinetics of Au (III) is rapid with a half-life of adsorption (t1/2) of 0.83min. The curve fitted by EDXRF measurement of gold Lα intensity signal on PUF was linear in the mass range of 0 to 25μg. The calibration sensitivity was 0.0860 CPS μg−1. The detection and quantification limits of gold in ore samples were 1.36 and 4.53μg .g−1, respectively. It was observed that Al, Cu (II), Fe (III), Mn (II) and Ni have no significant effect on gold sorption. The method was successfully applied to determine gold in ore reference materials. The results are in good agreement with the certified gold values at a 95% confidence level. The average relative standard deviation (RSD) was 6%.
Although Brazil is considered a megadiverse country, its rich freshwater biodiversity is still poorly known. A general overview of to-date knowledge on Protozoa, Rotifera, Cladocera, and Copepoda ...species and distribution in Brazilian Hydrographic Regions is presented here, based on literature data since the 1890s. Ecological studies provided most of the occurrence records. The results show high richness for all studied biological groups and unequal distribution of the occurrence records, which are substantially influenced by research groups’ location. The data also revealed that Brazilian zooplankton biodiversity still needs to be better studied, taxonomically, although from the beginning of the last century until 1980 these kinds of studies were predominant.
Climate change threatens freshwater fish by severely modifying water quality and hydrological dynamics, hence altering the species distribution. We assessed the climate change effects on the ...geographical distribution of
Salminus brasiliensis
, a keystone species of economic interest in the La Plata River basin. Using ecological niche models, we estimated the species range in the present time and assessed the range shift phenomena through climatically suitable areas in the future. We also quantified the predictive uncertainty from niche models, atmosphere–ocean general circulation models, and carbon emission scenarios. Our predictions indicated a great range contraction of
S. brasiliensis
in the future. The south-central portion of the basin should retain the climate refuge function for the species at 2050. Nonetheless, the segregation of this climate refuge in two smaller parts was predicted at the end of the century. Our study also revealed that the greatest source of uncertainty in forecasts of species range shifts arises from using alternative niche algorithms in modeling process. Our results contribute to more effective measures for conservation of
S. brasiliensis
, thus helping to ensure the ecosystem processes and socioeconomic activities in the basin dependent on this species.
Abstract The construction of reservoirs is a common practice in the world. These systems modify the hydric landscape and alter the flow of rivers, becoming lotic environments in lentic. Here we ...investigated the structure and spatial distribution of rotifers along a tropical reservoir. We sampled four points in the Pedra do Cavalo Reservoir, Bahia, Brazil, bimonthly, between August 2014 and June 2015. We registered more than 70 taxa distributed in 17 families, with the majority of species belonging to the Lecanidae, Brachionidae and Trichocercidae families. The species rarefaction curve did not achieve a total asymptote, indicating that species richness in the reservoir is higher than what was registered. Based in the species frequency of occurrence, we identified 48 rare species, 16 common species, five constant species and one frequent species. The highest beta diversity values were registered in riverine P1 (0.513) and intermediate P2 (0.503), although there were no significant differences between the sampling points. Despite the high abundance values in P1, P2 and P3 no significant differences were found between the studied points. Thus, this study substantially increases the knowledge on the rotifer community in the Paraguaçu River and contributes to future studies that focus on biodiversity, ecology and conservation in the Brazilian reservoir ecosystems.
The construction of reservoirs impacts upon freshwater ecosystems, since it changes the hydrodynamics of the entire system upstream and downstream of the dam due to flow control and changes in ...environmental conditions. We analyzed the temporal variation in the abundance of exogenous testate amoebae related to the suspended inorganic material in Neotropical floodplain lakes, downstream of a series of dams. Sampling was carried out between 2000 and 2012 in six lakes in the upper Paraná River floodplain. The temporal variation in the abundance of the testate amoeba community was analyzed using the Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis. Cucurbitella crateriformis, Protocucurbitella coroniformes, and C dentata f. quinquilobata had reduced population growth in higher concentrations of suspended inorganic material. On the other hand, Difflugia lobostoma, Centropyxis ecornis, and Difflugia pseudogramen populations increased under these conditions. These results showed that an increased flow of water could favor the growth of some populations due to the greater exchange of material between the lakes and the floodplain. The positive or negative responses could show better adaptation of the testate amoeba species to the planktonic environment. Furthermore, these results also highlighted the bioindicator role of these protozoa in aquatic ecosystems.
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