Search

Endosymbiont-bearing trypanosomatids have been considered excellent models for the study of cell evolution because the host protozoan co-evolves with an intracellular bacterium in a mutualistic relationship. Such protozoa inhabit a single invertebrate host during their entire life cycle and exhibit special characteristics that group them in a particular phylogenetic cluster of the Trypanosomatidae family, thus classified as monoxenics. In an effort to better understand such symbiotic association, we used DNA pyrosequencing and a reference-guided assembly to generate reads that predicted 16,960 and 12,162 open reading frames (ORFs) in two symbiont-bearing trypanosomatids, Angomonas deanei (previously named as Crithidia deanei) and Strigomonas culicis (first known as Blastocrithidia culicis), respectively. Identification of each ORF was based primarily on TriTrypDB using tblastn, and each ORF was confirmed by employing getorf from EMBOSS and Newbler 2.6 when necessary. The monoxenic organisms revealed conserved housekeeping functions when compared to other trypanosomatids, especially compared with Leishmania major. However, major differences were found in ORFs corresponding to the cytoskeleton, the kinetoplast, and the paraflagellar structure. The monoxenic organisms also contain a large number of genes for cytosolic calpain-like and surface gp63 metalloproteases and a reduced number of compartmentalized cysteine proteases in comparison to other TriTryp organisms, reflecting adaptations to the presence of the symbiont. The assembled bacterial endosymbiont sequences exhibit a high A+T content with a total of 787 and 769 ORFs for the Angomonas deanei and Strigomonas culicis endosymbionts, respectively, and indicate that these organisms hold a common ancestor related to the Alcaligenaceae family. Importantly, both symbionts contain enzymes that complement essential host cell biosynthetic pathways, such as those for amino acid, lipid and purine/pyrimidine metabolism. These findings increase our understanding of the intricate symbiotic relationship between the bacterium and the trypanosomatid host and provide clues to better understand eukaryotic cell evolution.

Abstract In this study, we compared visual pictorial size perception between healthy volunteers (CG) and an experimental group (EG) of people diagnosed with schizophrenia. We have been using paintings by Salvador Dalí and Rorschach plates to estimate visual pictorial size perception. In this transversal, ex post facto, and quasi-experimental study, we observed differences between EG and CG. Schizophrenic in-patients perceived sizes about 1.3-fold greater than healthy volunteers (p=0.006), implying that pictorial size perception is altered in some way in schizophrenia. Considering the present and previous results, this measurement of diameter size of first pictorial perception may be a useful estimate of some aspects of perceptual alterations that may be associated with psychotic symptoms in prodromal and acute schizophrenic episodes and other related mental states. Eventually, this may help in preventing people from evolving to acute episodes.

Endosymbiont-bearing trypanosomatids have been considered excellent models for the study of cell evolution because the host protozoan co-evolves with an intracellular bacterium in a mutualistic relationship. Such protozoa inhabit a single invertebrate host during their entire life cycle and exhibit special characteristics that group them in a particular phylogenetic cluster of the Trypanosomatidae family, thus classified as monoxenics. In an effort to better understand such symbiotic association, we used DNA pyrosequencing and a reference-guided assembly to generate reads that predicted 16,960 and 12,162 open reading frames (ORFs) in two symbiont-bearing trypanosomatids, Angomonas deanei (previously named as Crithidia deanei) and Strigomonas culicis (first known as Blastocrithidia culicis), respectively. Identification of each ORF was based primarily on TriTrypDB using tblastn, and each ORF was confirmed by employing getorf from EMBOSS and Newbler 2.6 when necessary. The monoxenic organisms revealed conserved housekeeping functions when compared to other trypanosomatids, especially compared with Leishmania major. However, major differences were found in ORFs corresponding to the cytoskeleton, the kinetoplast, and the paraflagellar structure. The monoxenic organisms also contain a large number of genes for cytosolic calpain-like and surface gp63 metalloproteases and a reduced number of compartmentalized cysteine proteases in comparison to other TriTryp organisms, reflecting adaptations to the presence of the symbiont. The assembled bacterial endosymbiont sequences exhibit a high A+T content with a total of 787 and 769 ORFs for the Angomonas deanei and Strigomonas culicis endosymbionts, respectively, and indicate that these organisms hold a common ancestor related to the Alcaligenaceae family. Importantly, both symbionts contain enzymes that complement essential host cell biosynthetic pathways, such as those for amino acid, lipid and purine/pyrimidine metabolism. These findings increase our understanding of the intricate symbiotic relationship between the bacterium and the trypanosomatid host and provide clues to better understand eukaryotic cell evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article questions the concept of adolescence, placing it as a historical construction that begins in the contemporaneous society of globalized control, in which it serves the dominant purposes of homogenization and standardization of the social practices and of the ways of life. It also questions the development logic and presents the idea of youth as a possible strategy to face that logic.

O presente texto tem como cenário o "apartheid social contemporâneo" que caracteriza a sociedade de controle globalizado onde, apesar da precarização do mercado de trabalho, difunde-se cada vez mais a subjetividade do trabalho formal como a verdadeira natureza do homem. Nesta perspectiva, o "cidadão humano" é aquele que se vincula, rápida e prontamente, à lógica capitalista. Neste contexto, coloca-se em análise o que significam as políticas públicas formuladas e implementadas por este Estado capitalista. Para tal, apresenta-se um pequeno histórico do mito do Estado Democrático de Direito no Brasil, em especial, a partir dos chamados novos movimentos sociais que emergem na segunda metade dos anos de 1970 e por toda a década seguinte. Utilizando-se da perspectiva foucaultiana que se contrapõe aos postulados tradicionais da esquerda, pensa-se o poder como relação de forças imanentes materializadas em práticas, técnicas e disciplinas, diversas e dispersas, presentes em todo o campo social, envolvendo igualmente dominadores e dominados. A partir daí, parte-se para a afirmação de práticas publicizantes que necessariamente não precisam estar vinculadas ao Estado; de direitos construídos na experiência concreta dos homens, de suas lutas, e não do Homem idealizado, de direitos idealizados. Parte-se, enfim, para repensar a relação entre Estado e políticas públicas.The present work is set in a scenario of "contemporary social apartheid" which represents the society of global control where, despite the growth of precarious work conditions, the subjectivities of formal work are more and more preached as being the true nature of man. From this perspective, the "human citizen" is one that fast and readily relates him or herself to the capitalistic logic. In this context, the meaning of public policies made and implemented by that State is considered. For that purpose, a brief history of the myth of the Democratic Rule of Law in Brazil is presented with an emphasis starting on those considered the new social movements that emerge in the second half of 1970's and throughout the whole following decade. Employing the perspective of Foucault, opposing to the traditional postulates of the Left, power is thought of as the relation of immanent forces materialized as diverse and scattered practices and techniques acting on the whole social field, over dominant and dominated equally. From this point, one moves towards the affirmation of publicizing practices not necessarily linked to the State; of rights constituted in the concrete experience of men, their struggle, rather than of Ideal Man, of idealized rights. At last, one moves towards rethinking the relation between the State and its public policies.

This article questions the concept of adolescence, placing it as a historical construction that begins in the contemporaneous society of globalized control, in which it serves the dominant purposes of homogenization and standardization of the social practices and of the ways of life. It also questions the development logic and presents the idea of youth as a possible strategy to face that logic.

O presente artigo pretende colocar em análise a divisão social do trabalho no capitalismo, a emergência dos especialismos - em especial o psi - algumas produções de subjetividades e parte de seus efeitos. Para tal, serão inicialmente apontadas algumas ''formas'' que vão sendo forjadas para o Homem, para a Sociedade, para a Psicologia e para Política através da crença de que possuem uma essência, uma existência em si. Tal crença tem instituído uma psicologia essencialista, privatista/intimizante e familiarista. Outro aspecto priorizado é a produção do ''modo-de-ser-indivíduo' e alguns de seus efeitos: a meritocracia e a psicologização da vida social. Finalizando, serão apontados escapes, derivas e linhas de fuga que permitem pensar o homem e a sociedade, a psicologia e a política não como territórios excludentes, mas como campos conectados que se atravessam e se constituem.The present article is intended as an analysis of the social division of work within Capitalism, the emergence of specialization - mainly psychology specialization - some productions of subjectivities and part of its effects. For such, we will initially appoint some ''forms'' that are being made for Man, Society, Psychology and Politics through the belief they have an existence of their own. Such belief has instituted an essencialist psychology, privatized/intimized and family-focused. Another prioritized aspect is the production of the ''individual-way-of-being'' and some of its effects: meritocracy and the psychologizing of social life. Finally, some escape routes will be pointed out and escape lines that will allow the thinking of Man, Society, Psychology and Politics not as self-excluding territories, but as interconnected fields that crisscross out and add together.