Search

Abstract The evolution of hematophagy involves a series of adaptations that allow blood-feeding insects to access and consume blood efficiently while managing and circumventing the host’s hemostatic and immune responses. Mosquito, and other insects, utilize salivary proteins to regulate these responses at the bite site during and after blood feeding. We investigated the function of Anopheles gambiae salivary apyrase (AgApyrase) in regulating hemostasis in the mosquito blood meal and in Plasmodium transmission. Our results demonstrate that salivary apyrase, a known inhibitor of platelet aggregation, interacts with and activates tissue plasminogen activator, facilitating the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin, a human protease that degrades fibrin and facilitates Plasmodium transmission. We show that mosquitoes ingest a substantial amount of apyrase during blood feeding, which reduces coagulation in the blood meal by enhancing fibrin degradation and inhibiting platelet aggregation. AgApyrase significantly enhanced Plasmodium infection in the mosquito midgut, whereas AgApyrase immunization inhibited Plasmodium mosquito infection and sporozoite transmission. This study highlights a pivotal role for mosquito salivary apyrase for regulation of hemostasis in the mosquito blood meal and for Plasmodium transmission to mosquitoes and to the mammalian host, underscoring the potential for strategies to prevent malaria transmission.

The recognition of 20th-century architecture in Brazil is still a field restricted to specialists, which makes the remaining assets of this collection susceptible to defacement or even destruction. The designation of the Lagoa Rowing Stadium as a historic landmark by the city of Rio de Janeiro gives us the possibility of reflecting on the existing dispute between the public interest, protected by the listing in 2005, versus the financial voracity of private groups toward the asset in question. Grotesque defacement was undertaken starting in 2003 with the approval of the State and city administrations, including the intent to turn the sports complex into a business complex, thereby distorting the original proposal from the 1950s.

Dimensional measurements are fundamental in microfluidic device manufacturing and performance. The main focus of this study is the measurement of the connection port sizes in microfluidic devices and components and, accordingly, the possible existence of fluid leaks determined using the flow rate error. The sizes associated with three different microfluidic systems were determined using laser interferometry and through an optical measuring instrument, with metrological traceability to national length standards. It was possible to infer the method with the greatest accuracy and lowest measurement uncertainty for characterizing this kind of system. In conclusion, the results of this work directly address the current lack of dimensions measuring methods of microfluidic components by providing a comprehensive comparison of different protocols, ultimately suggesting a preferred option for immediate application within the microfluidic industry.

For over 150 years, researchers have studied the (patho)physiology of the endocrine pancreas and devised treatment options for diabetes mellitus (DM). However, no cure has been developed so far. In dogs, diabetes mellitus type 1 (T1DM) is the most common presentation. Treatment consists of twice daily insulin injections, monitored by spatial blood glucose measurements. Even though dogs were instrumental in the discovery of insulin and islet transplantations, the treatment in diabetic dogs has remained unchanged for decades. Providing twice daily insulin injections is demanding for both owners and dogs and may result in hypoglycaemic events, creating the need for new treatment strategies. Novel regenerative medicine-based tools, such as improved β-cell culture protocols and artificial devices, have sparked hope for a cure. In human medicine, emerging technologies such as the transplantation of insulin-producing β-cells, generated by stem cell differentiation, with or without an encapsulation device, are currently tested in phase I/II clinical trials. As the pathogenesis of T1DM is remarkably similar between humans and dogs, novel treatment methods could be implemented in canine medicine. This review briefly summarises the physiology of the canine endocrine pancreas and the pathophysiology of canine DM before exploring current and possible future treatment options for canine DM.

The Madeira River presents higher sediment flux in relation to others Amazonian rivers, contributing approximately 45 % of the sediment load to the entire Amazon Basin, that is also the region with the largest untapped hydroelectric potential. The implementation of Jirau and Santo Antonio Dams on Madeira River in Brazil created large run-of-the-river hydroelectric complex, and assessment of silting became an important issue to estimate the actual impact on sediment connectivity and on operation of the reservoir. This paper presents data of the morphology and stratigraphy of a portion of Jirau Reservoir, between the Jirau Rapids and the levees close to the Jirau Dam, in the period of February 8th to February 15th, 2022. The data were obtained by Multibeam Echo Sounder and High-Resolution Seismic Reflection. The results obtained by analysing reservoir bed morphology helped identify regions prone to siltation. The run-of-the-river Jirau Reservoir seems to have had minimal sediment retention since start of operations, as observed in seismic profiles. The suspended sediment concentration map of the study area collected for the year 2021, obtained within a parallel study based on satellite images, showed that the distribution on the surface of the reservoir correlates with the geophysical results, supporting our findings and suggesting the need for joint utilization of geophysical and remote sensing techniques.

Nucleophilic amino acids are important in covalent drug development yet underutilized as anti-microbial targets. Chemoproteomic technologies have been developed to mine chemically accessible residues via their intrinsic reactivity towards electrophilic probes but cannot discern which chemically reactive sites contribute to protein function and should therefore be prioritized for drug discovery. To address this, we have developed a CRISPR-based oligo recombineering (CORe) platform to support the rapid identification, functional prioritization and rational targeting of chemically reactive sites in haploid systems. Our approach couples protein sequence and function with biological fitness of live cells. Here we profile the electrophile sensitivity of proteinogenic cysteines in the eukaryotic pathogen Toxoplasma gondii and prioritize functional sites using CORe. Electrophile-sensitive cysteines decorating the ribosome were found to be critical for parasite growth, with target-based screening identifying a parasite-selective anti-malarial lead molecule and validating the apicomplexan translation machinery as a target for ongoing covalent ligand development.

RESUMO Este trabalho visa a elaboração de um catálogo com a localização e identificação das árvores presentes no campus da UFRRJ, bem como estudo das principais características plásticas destas, de modo a permitir uma maior percepção do componente arbóreo pela comunidade universitária. Foi realizado percorrendo-se a quadra dos alojamentos, registrando a localização de cada indivíduo observado, suas características plásticas e coletando-se o material botânico para posterior identificação em herbário. Foram observadas 212 árvores na área de estudo, pertencentes a 37 espécies. Apesar desta diversidade, três espécies apresentam quase a metade do número de árvores da área e dois tipos de estrutura somam 75% dos indivíduos. Sugere-se a recomposição de uma parte da quadra, com o plantio de árvores de maneira mais integrada e com características plásticas que permitam uma unidade cênica.

Monitoring sediment transport in a run-of-river hydropower dam was investigated to detect and quantify the siltation processes using Sentinel-2/MSI satellite images. We developed a method allowing us to assess the fate of sediment discharge in reservoirs and to map the locations of eroding and silting stream cross sections. This monitoring was achieved by retrieving the seasonal and interannual variation in suspended sediment concentration (SPM) longitudinally and by developing indices to detect local deviations from the overall SPM trend. A comparison between Sentinel-2 reflectance, processed for atmospheric and glint correction, and field measurements showed fine accuracy for the b8a/b4 band ratio (RMSE = 0.23 sr-1, N = 50) as well as a very good SPM retrieval performance for a wide range of concentrations [10–926 mg/L] with an RMSLE of 0.23 mg/L. SPM trend analysis demonstrated that significant (p

ABSTRACT The mosquito immune system limits Plasmodium infection and malaria transmission. Plasmodium falciparum evades the mosquito defense response by expressing the surface protein P. falciparum P47 (Pfs47) that inhibits midgut epithelial nitration by interacting with the mosquito midgut P47 receptor (P47Rec). However, the mechanism by which P47Rec suppresses caspase-mediated nitration is unknown. Here, we show that epithelial invasion by Pfs47 knockout parasites is followed by an extrusion of cells undergoing caspase-mediated apoptosis, which triggers the release of hemocyte-derived microvesicles (HdMv’s), known to promote complement activation and ookinete lysis. In contrast, invasion by P. falciparum parasites that express Pfs47 accelerates the extrusion of damaged cells and disrupts caspase activation and HdMv release. The Anopheles gambiae heat shock protein 70 cognate 3 (Hsc70-3), the ortholog of Drosophila binding immunoglobulin protein, was identified as a molecular partner of P47Rec. Silencing of Hsc70-3 promotes lysis of Pfs47 wild-type parasites through a caspase S2-dependent mechanism. The interaction of P47Rec activates a Hsc70-3-mediated anti-apoptotic response that prevents caspase activation. The interaction of P47Rec with Hsc70-3 is necessary for P. falciparum to evade the mosquito early immune responses that target the ookinete stage. IMPORTANCE Malaria transmission by Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes is very effective, in part because the parasite expresses a surface protein called Pfs47 that allows it to evade the mosquito immune system. Here we investigate how this protein changes the response of mosquito midgut epithelial cells to invasion by the parasite. Pfs47 is known to interact with P47Rec, a mosquito midgut receptor. We found that Pf47Rec inhibits caspase-mediated apoptosis by interacting with the Hsc70-3. This disrupts nitration of midgut epithelial cells invaded by the parasite and the release of hemocyte-derived microvesicles, which are critical for effective activation of the mosquito complement system that eliminates the parasite.

Introdução: A capacidade de gerar o máximo de força possível em golpes com velocidade, pode ser definida como a potência muscular exigida no Muay Thai, onde os atletas precisam realizar golpes que causem o máximo de dano possível no adversário. O treinamento pliométrico é caracterizado por movimentos balísticos, que podem ter seus benefícios transferidos para atletas de Muay Thai que buscam o alto desempenho, com movimentos de saltos com ou sem carga extra, desenvolvendo maior capacidade de potência muscular, entre outras adaptações funcionais. Objetivo: Portanto o objetivo desta revisão é apresentar os efeitos do treinamento pliométrico no desenvolvimento da força e potência de atletas de Muay Thai. Materiais e Métodos: Este estudo foi pautado em uma revisão sistemática realizada no período compreendido entre setembro a março de 2022, utilizando as bases de dados CAPES, SciELO, PUBMED, Google Acadêmico, LILACS e MEDLINE. Resultados: Dentre os 136 encontrados nas bases de dados, 3 foram selecionados para compor esta revisão. Discussão: o treinamento pliométrico apresenta resultados positivos nas variáveis de potência muscular, força e flexibilidade em atletas de Muay Thai. Conclusão: A inclusão do treinamento pliométrico no planejamento da preparação física de atletas de Muay Thai mostra-se eficiente no aprimoramento da potência muscular de membros superiores e inferiores, força e flexibilidade.