The Caatinga is an ecologically unique semi-arid region of northeast Brazil characterized by high levels of endemism and severe anthropogenic threats from agricultural development and climate change. ...It is also one of the least known biomes in Brazil due to a combination of inadequate investment, low regional research capacity and difficult working conditions. However, while the lack of scientific knowledge of the Caatinga is well known, the spatial and temporal distribution of knowledge production has not been investigated. This is important because such biases undermine the development of effective conservation policy and practice and increase the uncertainty associated with conservation actions. Here, we map the geography of conservation knowledge production in the Caatinga and use an innovative hurdle model to identify the presumptive factors driving these patterns. Our analysis revealed strong geographic patterns, with research sites concentrated in the east of the region and in areas close to roads and research centres. There was also a positive association between conservation knowledge production and risk of desertification, indicating that conservation scientists are responding to conservation challenges faced by Caatinga's fauna and flora arising from climate change. Our results also highlight the pivotal role of pioneer scientists (those who develop research sites in previously unstudied/understudied areas) in determining the future geographic patterns of knowledge production. We conclude our article with a brief discussion of potential policies for increasing the spatial representativeness of conservation research in this remarkable ecosystem.
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been identified as responsible for the spread of tumors to other organs of the body. In this sense, the development of sensitive and specific assays for their ...detection is important to reduce the number of deaths due to metastases. Here, we assessed whether the detection of CTCs in peripheral blood can serve in the construction of a panel of diagnosis and monitoring treatments of breast cancer (BC), focusing on the expression of markers of epithelial–mesenchymal transition. Through analyzing the blood from women without breast alterations (control), women with benign alterations, women with breast cancer without chemotherapy, and women with breast cancer with chemotherapy, we identified the best markers by transcriptional levels and determined three profiles of CTCs (mesenchymal, intermediate, and epithelial) by flow cytometry which, combined, can be used for diagnosis and therapy monitoring with sensitivity and specificity between 80% and 100%. Therefore, we have developed a method for detecting breast cancer based on the analysis of CTC profiles by epithelial–mesenchymal transition markers which, combined, can be used for the diagnosis and monitoring of therapy.
Snake envenomation is a common but neglected disease that affects millions of people around the world annually. Among venomous snake species in Brazil, the tropical rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus ...terrificus) accounts for the highest number of fatal envenomations and is responsible for the second highest number of bites. Snake venoms are complex secretions which, upon injection, trigger diverse physiological effects that can cause significant injury or death. The components of C. d. terrificus venom exhibit neurotoxic, myotoxic, hemotoxic, nephrotoxic, and cardiotoxic properties which present clinically as alteration of central nervous system function, motor paralysis, seizures, eyelid ptosis, ophthalmoplesia, blurred vision, coagulation disorders, rhabdomyolysis, myoglobinuria, and cardiorespiratory arrest. In this study, we focused on proteomic characterization of the cardiotoxic effects of C. d. terrificus venom in mouse models. We injected venom at half the lethal dose (LD50) into the gastrocnemius muscle. Mouse hearts were removed at set time points after venom injection (1 h, 6 h, 12 h, or 24 h) and subjected to trypsin digestion prior to high-resolution mass spectrometry. We analyzed the proteomic profiles of >1300 proteins and observed that several proteins showed noteworthy changes in their quantitative profiles, likely reflecting the toxic activity of venom components. Among the affected proteins were several associated with cellular deregulation and tissue damage. Changes in heart protein abundance offer insights into how they may work synergistically upon envenomation.
Venom of the tropical rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus terririficus) is known to be neurotoxic, myotoxic, nephrotoxic and cardiotoxic. Although there are several studies describing the biochemical effects of this venom, no work has yet described its proteomic effects in the cardiac tissue of mice. In this work, we describe the changes in several mouse cardiac proteins upon venom treatment. Our data shed new light on the clinical outcome of the envenomation by C. d. terrificus, as well as candidate proteins that could be investigated in efforts to improve current treatment approaches or in the development of novel therapeutic interventions in order to reduce mortality and morbidity resulting from envenomation.
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•C. d. terrificus rattlesnake venom treatment of mice showed changes in cardiac protein profile•C. d. terrificus venom modulated proteins involved in biological and cellular process - C. d. terrificus venom modulated proteins related to molecular function and phenotypic profiles•C. d. terrificus venom modulated Gene Ontology categories related to cardiac cardiac tissue damage•Network analysis showed disturbances of proteins related to cardiac tissue damage
Microsatellite genetic markers are the gold standard for human genetic identification. Forensic analyses around the world are carried out through protocols using the analysis of STR markers in ...autosomal chromosomes and in the Y chromosome to solve crimes. However, these analyses do not allow for the resolution of all cases, such as rape situations with suspicion of incest, paternity without a maternal sample for comparison, and biological traces with DNA mixture where the profile sought is female, among other situations. In these complex cases, the study of X-chromosome STR markers significantly increases the probability of identification by complementing the data obtained for autosomal and Y-chromosome markers, due to the unique structure of the X chromosome and its exclusive method of inheritance. However, there are currently no validated Brazilian protocols for this purpose, nor are there any population data necessary for statistical analyses that must be included in the issuance of expert reports. Thus, the aim of this article is to provide a literary review of the applications of X-chromosomal markers in population genetics.
This work is a computational study of a rarefied non-reacting hypersonic flow past a forward-facing step at zero-degree angle of attack in thermal non-equilibrium. Effects on the flow field structure ...and on the aerodynamic surface quantities due to changes in step frontal-face height are investigated by employing the direct simulation Monte Carlo method. The work focuses the attention of designers of hypersonic configurations on the fundamental parameter of surface discontinuity, which can have an important impact on even initial design. The results presented highlight the sensitivity of the primary flow field properties, velocity, density, pressure and temperature, to changes in the step frontal-face height. In addition, the behaviour of heat transfer, pressure and skin friction coefficients with variation of the step frontal-face height is detailed. The analysis shows that hypersonic flow past a forward-facing step in the transition flow regime is characterized by a strong compression ahead of the frontal face, which influences the aerodynamic surface properties upstream and adjacent to the frontal face. The analysis also shows that the extension of the upstream disturbance depends on the step frontal-face height. It was found that the recirculation region ahead of the step is also a function of the frontal-face height. A sequence of Moffatt eddies of decreasing size and intensity is observed in the concave step corner. Locally high heating and pressure loads were observed at three locations along the surface, i.e. on the lower surface, on the frontal face and on the upper surface. The results showed that both loads rely on the frontal-face height. The peak values for the heat transfer coefficient on the frontal-face surface were at least one order of magnitude larger than the maximum value observed for a smooth surface, i.e. a flat plate without a step. A comparison of the present simulation results with numerical and experimental data showed close agreement concerning the wall pressure acting on the step surface.
The first publication on the use of polyurethane foam (PUF) for sorption processes dates back to 1970, and soon after the material was applied for separation processes. The application of PUF as a ...sorbent for solid phase extraction of inorganic analytes for separation and pre-concentration purposes is reviewed. The physical and chemical characteristics of PUF (polyether and polyester type) are discussed and an introduction to the characterization of these sorption processes using different types of isotherms is given. Separation and pre-concentration methods using unloaded and loaded PUF in batch and on-line procedures with continuous flow and flow injection systems are presented. Methods for the direct solid sampling analysis of the PUF after pre-concentration are discussed as well as approaches for speciation analysis. Thermodynamic proprieties of some extraction processes are evaluated and the interpretation of determined parameters, such as enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy in light of the physico-chemical processes is explained.
The trematode parasite Schistosoma mansoni causes schistosomiasis, which affects over 200 million people worldwide. Schistosomes are dioecious, with egg laying depending on the females' obligatory ...pairing with males. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides with low or no protein-coding potential that have been involved in other species with reproduction, stem cell maintenance, and drug resistance. In S. mansoni, we recently showed that the knockdown of one lncRNA affects the pairing status of these parasites. Here, we re-analyzed public RNA-Seq data from paired and unpaired adult male and female worms and their gonads, obtained from mixed-sex or single-sex cercariae infections, and found thousands of differentially expressed pairing-dependent lncRNAs among the 23 biological samples that were compared. The expression levels of selected lncRNAs were validated by RT-qPCR using an in vitro unpairing model. In addition, the in vitro silencing of three selected lncRNAs showed that knockdown of these pairing-dependent lncRNAs reduced cell proliferation in adult worms and their gonads, and are essential for female vitellaria maintenance, reproduction, and/or egg development. Remarkably, in vivo silencing of each of the three selected lncRNAs significantly reduced worm burden in infected mice by 26 to 35%. Whole mount in situ hybridization experiments showed that these pairing-dependent lncRNAs are expressed in reproductive tissues. These results show that lncRNAs are key components intervening in S. mansoni adult worm homeostasis, which affects pairing status and survival in the mammalian host, thus presenting great potential as new therapeutic target candidates.
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•Novel alumina nanoparticle covalently bound to an antimicrobial peptide.•Importance of the peptide-nanoparticle conjugation on the biological activity.•Membrane-interactions of the ...synthesized nanobiostructures.
The functionalization of alumina nanoparticles of specific morphology with antimicrobial peptides (AMP) can be a promising strategy for modeling medical devices and packaging materials for cosmetics, medicines or food, since the contamination by pathogens could be reduced. In this paper, we show the synthesis of a fibrous-like alumina nanobiostructure, as well as its functionalization with the peptide EAAA-BP100, an analog of the antimicrobial peptide BP100. The antibacterial activity of the obtained material against some bacterial strains is also investigated. The covalent binding of the peptide to the nanoparticles was promoted by a reaction between the carboxyl group of the glutamate side chain (E1) of the peptide and the amino groups of the alumina nanoparticles, previously modified by reaction with 3-aminopropyltrietoxysilane (APTES). The functionalized nanoparticles were characterized by zeta potential measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and other physicochemical techniques. Although the obtained alumina nanobiostructure shows a relatively low degree of substitution with EAAA-BP100, antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium strains are appreciably higher than the activities of the free peptide. The obtained results can affect the design of new hybrid nanobiomaterials based on nanoparticles functionalized with AMP.
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