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Trema, a genus of the popularly known Cannabaceae, has recently been the subject of cannabinoid bioprospection. T. micrantha is a tree with pharmacological potential widely used in folk medicine. It has two types of glandular trichomes, bulbous and filiform, spread throughout the plant body. Considering the proximity of this species to Cannabis sativa and Trema orientalis, species containing cannabinoids, the glandular trichomes of T. micrantha are also expected to be related to the secretion of these compounds. Thus, this study aims to detail the morphology of secretory trichomes during the synthesis, storing and release of metabolites in T. micrantha. We tested the proposition that they could be a putative type of cannabinoid-secreting gland. Pistillate and staminate flowers and leaves were collected and processed for ontogenic, histochemical, and ultrastructural analyses. Both types of glandular trichomes originate from a protodermal cell. They are putative cannabinoid-secreting sites because: (1) terpene-phenols and, more specifically, cannabinoids were detected in situ; (2) their secretory subcellular apparatus is consistent with that found in C. sativa: modified plastids, polyribosomes, an extensive rough endoplasmic reticulum, and a moniliform smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Plastids and smooth endoplasmic reticulum are involved in the synthesis of terpenes, while the rough endoplasmic reticulum acts in the phenolic synthesis. These substances cross the plasma membrane by exocytosis and are released outside the trichome through cuticle pores. The study of the cell biology of the putative cannabinoid glands can promote the advancement of prospecting for natural products in plants., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Ants, an ecologically successful and numerically dominant group of animals, play key ecological roles as soil engineers, predators, nutrient recyclers, and regulators of plant growth and reproduction in most terrestrial ecosystems. Further, ants are widely used as bioindicators of the ecological impact of land use. We gathered information of ant species in the Atlantic Forest of South America. The ATLANTIC ANTS data set, which is part of the ATLANTIC SERIES data papers, is a compilation of ant records from collections (18,713 records), unpublished data (29,651 records), and published sources (106,910 records; 1,059 references), including papers, theses, dissertations, and book chapters published from 1886 to 2020. In total, the data set contains 153,818 ant records from 7,636 study locations in the Atlantic Forest, representing 10 subfamilies, 99 genera, 1,114 ant species identified with updated taxonomic certainty, and 2,235 morphospecies codes. Our data set reflects the heterogeneity in ant records, which include ants sampled at the beginning of the taxonomic history of myrmecology (the 19th and 20th centuries) and more recent ant surveys designed to address specific questions in ecology and biology. The data set can be used by researchers to develop strategies to deal with different macroecological and region-wide questions, focusing on assemblages, species occurrences, and distribution patterns. Furthermore, the data can be used to assess the consequences of changes in land use in the Atlantic Forest on different ecological processes. No copyright restrictions apply to the use of this data set, but we request that authors cite this data paper when using these data in publications or teaching events., (© 2021 The Authors. Ecology © 2021 The Ecological Society of America.)

Aptamers are affinity-based oligonucleotide ligands raised against a target molecule, which might be of proteic or other nature. Aptamers are developed by using a reiterative in vitro selection procedure, named SELEX, in which the target is exposed to a combinatorial oligonucleotide combinatorial library. Target bound oligonucleotides are eluted, and PCR amplified followed by the next SELEX round. The process is repeated until no further increase in target binding affinity and specificity is achieved. Selected aptamers are identified and immobilized for protein purification. In view of their stability against denaturation and capability of renaturation, low costs of production, easiness of modification and stabilization, oligonucleotide aptamers are excellent tools as high-affinity ligands for applications of protein purification., (© 2022. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Photobiomodulation therapy (PBM-T) can penetrate soft tissues and exert analgesic and healing effects, and is thus a promising alternative for prevention and treatment of oral mucositis (OM). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of PBM-T, alone or combined with photodynamic therapy (PDT), for treatment of OM in cancer patients., Methods: Fifty-six patients were recruited from the Oncology Department of a teaching hospital. Patients underwent grading of OM and were divided into two groups (n = 28 each): PBM-T and PBM-T + PDT. In the PBM-T group, low-level laser was applied to 61 points in the oral cavity, once weekly for 4 weeks (wavelength 660 nm, power 100 mW, energy density 142 J/cm², spot energy 4 J, irradiation time 40 s). In the PBM-T + PDT group, in addition to PBM-T as described above, patients rinsed with 20 ml of photosensitizing mouthwash (curcumin 1.5 g/L) and the oral cavity was irradiated with a blue (468 nm) LED for 5 min., Results: Significant reductions in OM grade were observed after application of PBM-T or PBM-T + PDT (p < 0.0001). PBM-T + PDT resulted in a shorter time to resolution of lesions compared to PBM-T alone (p = 0.0005)., Conclusions: PBM-T, alone or combined with PDT, can be used for the treatment of OM. PDT + PBM-T in particular accelerated the OM healing process, reducing time to lesion remission from 15 to 11 days., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Adipose stromal cells are promising tools for clinical applications in regeneration therapies, due to their ease of isolation from tissue and its high yield; however, their ability to transdifferentiate into neural phenotypes is still a matter of controversy. Here, we show that combined chemical and neurotrophin stimulation resulted in neuron-like morphology and regulated expression and activity of several genes involved in neurogenesis and neurotransmission as well as ion currents mediated by NMDA and GABA receptors. Among them, expression patterns of genes coding for kinin-B1 and B2, α7 nicotinic, M1, M3 and M4 muscarinic acetylcholine, glutamatergic (AMPA2 and mGlu2), purinergic P2Y1 and P2Y4 and GABAergic (GABA-A, β3-subunit) receptors and neuronal nitric oxide synthase were up-regulated compared to levels of undifferentiated cells. Simultaneously, expression levels of P2X1, P2X4, P2X7 and P2Y6 purinergic and M5 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors were down-regulated. Agonist-induced activity levels of the studied receptor classes also augmented during neuronal transdifferentiation. Transdifferentiated cells expressed high levels of neuronal β3-tubulin, NF-H, NeuN and MAP-2 proteins as well as increased ASCL1, MYT1 and POU3F2 gene expression known to drive neuronal fate determination. The presented work contributes to a better understanding of transdifferentiation induced by neurotrophins for a prospective broad spectrum of medical applications.

The bioactive peptide bradykinin obtained from cleavage of precursor kininogens activates the kinin-B2 receptor functioning in induction of inflammation and vasodilatation. In addition, bradykinin participates in kidney and cardiovascular development and neuronal and muscle differentiation. Here we show that kinin-B2 receptors are expressed throughout differentiation of murine C2C12 myoblasts into myotubes. An autocrine loop between receptor activation and bradykinin secretion is suggested, since bradykinin secretion is significantly reduced in the presence of the kinin-B2 receptor antagonist HOE-140 during differentiation. Expression of skeletal muscle markers and regenerative capacity were decreased after pharmacological inhibition or genetic ablation of the B2 receptor, while its antagonism increased the number of myoblasts in culture. In summary, the present work reveals to date no functions described for the B2 receptor in muscle regeneration due to the control of proliferation and differentiation of muscle precursor cells.

Although the term 'cancer' was still over two thousand years away of being coined, the first known cases of the disease date back to about 3000BC, in ancient Egypt. Five thousand years later, still lacking a cure, it has become one of the leading causes of death, killing over half a dozen million people yearly. So far, monoclonal antibodies are the most successful immune-therapy tools when it comes to fighting cancer. The number of clinical trials that use them has been increasing steadily during the past few years, especially since the Food and Drug Administration greenlit the use of the first immune-checkpoint blockade antibodies. However, albeit successful, this approach does come with the cost of auto-inflammatory toxicity. Taking this into account, the development of new therapeutic reagents with low toxicity becomes evident, particularly ones acting in tandem with the tools currently at our disposal. Ever since its discovery in the early nineties, aptamer technology has been used for a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic applications. With similar properties to those of monoclonal antibodies, such as high-specificity of recognition and high-affinity binding, and the advantages of being developed using in vitro selection procedures, aptamers quickly became convenient building blocks for the generation of multifunctional constructs. In this review, we discuss the steps involved in the in vitro selection process that leads to functional aptamers - known as Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment - as well as the most recent applications of this technology in diagnostic and treatment of oncological illnesses. Moreover, we also suggest ways to improve such use., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST There is no conflicts of interest whatsoever regarding this publication.

Background: Detection of circulating lung cancer cells with cancer-stem like characteristics would represent an improved tool for disease prognosis. However, current antibodies based methods have some disadvantages and therefore cell SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment) was used to develop DNA aptamers, recognizing cell surface markers of non-small lung carcinoma (NSLC) cells., Materials and Methods: The human adenocarcinoma cell line A549 was used for selection in seven cell SELEX cycles. We used human blood leukocytes for negative selection, and lung stem cell protein marker CD90 antibody binding A549 cells for positive selection., Results: The obtained oligonucleotide sequences after the seventh SELEX cycle were subjected to in silico selection analysis based on three independent types of bioinformatics approaches, selecting two closely related aptamer candidates in terms of consensus sequences, structural motifs, binding affinity (Kd) and stability (ΔG). We selected and identified the aptamer A155&#95;18 with very good binding characteristics to A459 cells, selected for CD90 antibody binding. The calculated phylogenetic tree showed that aptamers A155&#95;18 and the known A549 cell aptamer S6 have a close structural relationship. MEME sequence analysis showed that they share two unique motifs, not present in other sequences., Conclusions: The novel aptamer A155&#95;18 has strong binding affinity for A549 lung carcinoma cell line subpopulation that is expressing stem cell marker CD90, indicating a possible stemness, characteristic for the A459 line, or a subpopulation present within this cell line. This aptamer can be applied as diagnostic tool, identifying NSLC circulating cells.

Psychiatric disorders are debilitating diseases, affecting >80 million people worldwide. There are no causal cures for psychiatric disorders and available therapies only treat the symptoms. The etiology of psychiatric disorders is unknown, although it has been speculated to be a combination of environmental, stress and genetic factors. One of the neurotransmitter systems implicated in the biology of psychiatric disorders is the purinergic system. In this review, we performed a comprehensive search of the literature about the role and function of the purinergic system in the development and predisposition to psychiatric disorders, with a focus on depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, anxiety and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. We also describe how therapeutics used for psychiatric disorders act on the purinergic system.

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most devastating tumor in the brain. Ursolic acid (UA) is found in a variety of plants, and exhibits several pharmacological activities. In this study, we investigated the effects of UA in vitro, clarifying the mechanisms that mediate its toxicity and the long-lasting actions of UA in C6 glioma cells. We also evaluated the antitumor activity of UA in an in vivo orthotopic glioma model. Cell numbers were assessed using the Trypan blue exclusion test, and the cell cycle was characterized by flow cytometry using propidium iodide staining. Apoptosis was analyzed using an Annexin V kit and by examining caspase-3. Akt immunocontent was verified by Western blot and the long-lasting actions of UA were measured by cumulative population doubling (CPD). In vivo experiments were performed in rats to measure the effects on tumor size, malignant features and toxicological parameters. In vitro results showed that UA decreased glioma cell numbers, increased the sub-G1 fraction and induced apoptotic death, accompanied by increased active caspase-3 protein levels. Akt phosphorylation/activation in cells was also diminished by UA. With regard to CPD, cell proliferation was almost completely restored upon single UA treatments, but when the UA was added again, the majority of cells died, demonstrating the importance of re-treatment cycles with chemotherapeutic agents for abolishing tumor growth. In vivo, ursolic acid slightly reduced glioma tumor size but did not decrease malignant features. Ursolic acid may be a potential candidate as an adjuvant for glioblastoma therapy., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and their projections to the striatum. Several processes have been described as potential inducers of the dopaminergic neuron death, such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the death of dopaminergic neurons seems to be multifactorial, and its cause remains unclear. ATP-activating purinergic receptors influence various physiological functions in the CNS, including neurotransmission. Purinergic signaling is also involved in pathological scenarios, where ATP is extensively released and promotes sustained purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) activation and consequent induction of cell death. This effect occurs, among other factors, by oxidative stress and during the inflammatory response. On the other hand, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) is involved in energy metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis. Expression and activity upregulation of this protein has been related with reduction of oxidative stress and neuroprotection. Therefore, P2X7R and PGC-1α are potential targets in the treatment of PD. Here hemiparkinsonism was induced by unilateral stereotactic injection of 6-OHDA in a rat model. After 7 days, the establishment of PD was confirmed and followed by treatment with the P2X7R antagonist Brilliant Blue G (BBG) or PGC-1α agonist fenofibrate. BBG, but not fenofibrate, reverted hemiparkinsonian behavior accompanied by an increase in tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the substantia nigra. Our results suggest that the P2X7R may be a therapeutic target in Parkinson's disease.

Gastrointestinal helminths are considered to be the most common parasites affecting cats worldwide. Correct diagnosis of these parasites in animals living in urban areas is pivotal, especially considering the zoonotic potential of some species (e.g. Ancylostoma sp. and Toxocara sp.). In this study, a copromicroscopic survey was conducted using fecal samples (n = 173) from domestic cats living in the northeastern region of Brazil. Samples were examined through the FLOTAC technique and the overall results showed positivity of 65.31% (113/173) among the samples analyzed. Coinfections were observed in 46.01% (52/113) of the positive samples. The most common parasites detected were Ancylostoma sp., Toxocara cati, Strongyloides stercoralis, Trichuris sp., Dipylidium caninum and Cystoisospora sp. From an epidemiological point of view, these findings are important, especially considering that zoonotic parasites (e.g. Ancylostoma sp. and Toxocara sp.) were the nematodes most frequently diagnosed in this study. Therefore, the human population living in close contact with cats is at risk of infection caused by the zoonotic helminths of these animals. In addition, for the first time the FLOTAC has been used to diagnosing gastrointestinal parasites of cats in Brazil.

Aptamers compete with antibodies in many applications, in which high-affinity and specificity ligands are needed. In this regard, fluorescence-tagged aptamers have gained applications in flow and imaging cytometry for detecting cells expressing distinct antigens. Here we present prospective methods, as a starting point, for using these high-affinity ligands for cytometry applications.

The kinins bradykinin and des-arg(9) -bradykinin cleaved from kininogen precursors by kallikreins exert their biological actions by stimulating kinin-B2 and B1 receptors, respectively. In vitro models of neural differentiation such as P19 embryonal carcinoma cells and neural progenitor cells have suggested the involvement of B2 receptors in neural differentiation and phenotype determination; however, the involvement of B1 receptors in these processes has not been established. Here, we show that B1 and B2 receptors are differentially expressed in mouse embryonic E14Tg2A stem cells undergoing neural differentiation. Proliferation and differentiation assays, performed in the presence of receptor subtype-selective agonists and antagonists, revealed that B1 receptor activity is required for the proliferation of embryonic and differentiating cells as well as for neuronal maturation at later stages of differentiation, while the B2 receptor acts on neural phenotype choice, promoting neurogenesis over gliogenesis. Besides the elucidation of bradykinin functions in an in vitro model reflecting early embryogenesis and neurogenesis, this study contributes to the understanding of B1 receptor functions in this process., (© 2015 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.)

Immunomodulators regulate stem cell activity at all stages of development as well as during adulthood. Embryonic stem cell (ESC) proliferation as well as neurogenic processes during embryonic development are controlled by factors of the immune system. We review here immunophenotypic expression patterns of  different stem cell types, including ESC, neural (NSC) and tissue-specific mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), and focus on immunodulatory properties of these cells. Immune and inflammatory responses, involving actions of cytokines as well as toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling are known to affect the differentiation capacity of NSC and MSC. Secretion of pro- and anti-inflammatory messengers by MSC have been observed as the consequence of TLR and cytokine activation and promotion of differentiation into specified phenotypes. As result of augmented differentiation capacity, stem cells secrete angiogenic factors including vascular endothelial growth factor, resulting in multifactorial actions in tissue repair. Immunoregulatory properties of tissue specific adult stem cells are put into the context of possible clinical applications.

Prevention of Graft-versus-Host-Disease (GvHD) by preserved Graft-versus-Leukaemia (GvL) effect is one of the major obstacles following allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Currently used drugs are associated with side effects and were not able to separate GvHD from the GvL-effect because of general T-cell suppression. This review focuses on murine models for GvHD and currently available treatment options involving antibodies and applications for the therapeutic use of aptamers as well as strategies for targeting immune responses by allogenic antigens., (© 2014 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.)

Modern medicine will unequivocally include regenerative medicine as a major breakthrough in the re-establishment of damaged or lost tissues due to degenerative diseases or injury. In this scenario, millions of patients worldwide can have their quality of life improved by stem cell implantation coupled with endogenous secretion or administration of survival and differentiation promoting factors. Large efforts, relying mostly on flow cytometry and imaging techniques, have been put into cell isolation, immunophenotyping, and studies of differentiation properties of stem cells of diverse origins. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are particularly relevant for therapy due to their simplicity of isolation. A minimal phenotypic pattern for the identification of MSCs cells requires them to be immunopositive for CD73, CD90, and CD105 expression, while being negative for CD34, CD45, and HLA-DR and other surface markers. MSCs identified by their cell surface marker expression pattern can be readily purified from patient's bone marrow and adipose tissues. Following expansion and/or predifferentiation into a desired tissue type, stem cells can be reimplanted for tissue repair in the same patient, virtually eliminating rejection problems. Transplantation of MSCs is subject of almost 200 clinical trials to cure and treat a very broad range of conditions, including bone, heart, and neurodegenerative diseases. Immediate or medium term improvements of clinical symptoms have been reported as results of many clinical studies., (Copyright © 2012 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.)

Embryonic carcinoma cells are widely used models for studying the mechanisms of proliferation and differentiation occurring during early embryogenesis. We have now investigated how down-regulation of P2X2 and P2X7 receptor expression by RNA interference (RNAi) affects neural differentiation and phenotype specification of P19 embryonal carcinoma cells. Wild-type P19 embryonal carcinoma cells or cells stably expressing shRNAs targeting P2X2 or P2X7 receptor expression were induced to differentiate into neurons and glial cells in the presence of retinoic acid. Silencing of P2X2 receptor expression along differentiation promoted cell proliferation and an increase in the percentage of cells expressing glial-specific GFAP, while the presence of beta-3 tubulin-positive cells diminished at the same time. Proliferation induction in the presence of stable anti-P2X2 receptor RNAi points at a mechanism where glial proliferation is favored over growth arrest of progenitor cells which would allow neuronal maturation. Differently from the P2X2 receptor, inhibition of P2X7 receptor expression during neural differentiation of P19 cells resulted in a decrease in cell proliferation and GFAP expression, suggesting the need of functional P2X7 receptors for the progress of gliogenesis. The results obtained in this study indicate the importance of purinergic signaling for cell fate determination during neural differentiation, with P2X2 and P2X7 receptors promoting neurogenesis and gliogenesis, respectively. The shRNAs down-regulating P2X2 or P2X7 receptor gene expression, developed during this work, present useful tools for studying mechanisms of neural differentiation in other stem cell models., (Copyright © 2012 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Energy metabolism in the adult brain consumes large quantities of glucose, but little is known to date regarding how glucose metabolism changes during neuronal differentiation, a process that is highly demanding energetically. We studied changes in glucose metabolism during neuronal differentiation of P19 mouse embryonal carcinoma cells, E14Tg2A embryonic stem cells as well as during brain development of BLC57 mice. In all these models, we find that neurogenesis is accompanied by a shift from oxidative to fermentative glucose metabolism. This shift is accompanied by both a decrease in mitochondrial enzymatic activities and mitochondrial uncoupling. In keeping with this finding, we also observe that differentiation does not require oxidative metabolism, as indicated by experiments demonstrating that the process is preserved in cells treated with the ATP synthase inhibitor oligomycin. Overall, we provide evidence that neuronal differentiation involves a shift from oxidative to fermentative metabolism, and that oxidative phosphorylation is not essential for this process.

Mycobacterium leprae (ML), the etiologic agent of leprosy, mainly affects the skin and peripheral nerves, leading to demyelization and loss of axonal conductance. Schwann cells (SCs) are the main cell population infected by ML in the nerves, and infection triggers changes in the SC phenotype from a myelinated to a nonmyelinated state. In the present study, we show that expression of 9-O-acetyl GD3, a ganglioside involved in cellular anti-apoptotic signaling and nerve regeneration, increases in SCs following infection with ML. Observation by confocal microscopy together with coimmunoprecipitation suggested that this ganglioside participates in ML attachment and internalization by SC. Immunoblockage of 9-O-acetyl GD3 in vitro significantly reduced adhesion of ML to SC surfaces. Finally, we show that activation of the MAPK (ERK 1/2) pathway and SC proliferation, two known effects of ML on SCs that result in demyelization, are significantly reduced when the 9-O-acetyl GD3 ganglioside is immunoblocked. Taken together, these data suggest the involvement of 9-O-acetyl GD3 in ML infection on SCs.

Nosocomial infections bring a high risk to the health of hospital patients and employees. Ants are common organisms in Brazilian hospitals, where they can act as dispersers of opportunistic microorganisms in places they forage. The occurrence of multi-resistant bacteria carried by ants was analyzed in two public hospitals (HA and HB) in southeastern Bahia, Brazil. In these two hospitals 132 workers belonging to three ant species were collected. The bacteria associated to these ants were identified and their susceptibility to antibiotics was evaluated. More than half (57.3%) of ants collected in HA were associated with some kind of bacteria, with 26.7% of them being opportunist bacteria, while 84,2% of the ants from HB presented associated bacteria growth, with 61.4% of them being opportunist bacteria. Twenty four species of bacteria were isolated. The Gram-positive bacilli of the genus Bacillus were the most frequent, followed by the Gram-positive cocci, Gram-negative bacilli (family Enterobacteriaceae) and Gram-negative non-fermenters bacilli. The profile of sensitivity of the bacterial isolates to drugs pointed out the existence of multi-resistant isolates carried by ants. For the first time, are reported cases of the same bacterial resistant isolates taken form homospecific ant workers that point out the importance of ants to bacteria dissemination and proliferation in a hospital. Our results suggest that the risk of contamination presented by these ants is similar to the one of any other mechanical vector of bacterial dissemination.

The capacity to distinguish colony members from strangers is a key component in social life. In social insects, this extends to the brood and involves discrimination of queen eggs. Chemical substances communicate colony affiliation for both adults and brood; thus, in theory, all colony members should be able to recognize fellow nestmates. In this study, we investigate the ability of Dinoponera quadriceps workers to discriminate nestmate and non-nestmate eggs based on cuticular hydrocarbon composition. We analyzed whether cuticular hydrocarbons present on the eggs provide cues of discrimination. The results show that egg recognition in D. quadriceps is related to both age and the functional role of workers. Brood care workers were able to distinguish nestmate from non-nestmate eggs, while callow and forager workers were unable to do so.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a molecular messenger involved in several events of synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system. Ca2+ influx through the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) triggers the synthesis of NO by activating the enzyme neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in postsynaptic densities. Therefore, NMDAR and nNOS are part of the intricate scenario of postsynaptic densities. In the present study, we hypothesized that the intracellular distribution of nNOS in the neurons of superior colliculus (SC) superficial layers is an NMDAR activity-dependent process. We used osmotic minipumps to promote chronic blockade of the receptors with the pharmacological agent MK-801 in the SC of 7 adult rats. The effective blockade of NMDAR was assessed by changes in the protein level of the immediate early gene NGFI-A, which is a well-known NMDAR activity-dependent expressing transcription factor. Upon chronic infusion of MK-801, a decrease of 47% in the number of cells expressing NGFI-A was observed in the SC of treated animals. Additionally, the filled dendritic extent by the histochemical product of nicotinamide adenine di-nucleotide phosphate diaphorase was reduced by 45% when compared to the contralateral SC of the same animals and by 64% when compared to the SC of control animals. We conclude that the proper intracellular localization of nNOS in the retinorecipient layers of SC depends on NMDAR activation. These results are consistent with the view that the participation of NO in the physiological and plastic events of the central nervous system might be closely related to an NMDAR activity-dependent function.

Reproductive conflicts within animal societies occur when all females can potentially reproduce. In social insects, these conflicts are regulated largely by behaviour and chemical signalling. There is evidence that presence of signals, which provide direct information about the quality of the reproductive females would increase the fitness of all parties. In this study, we present an association between visual and chemical signals in the paper wasp Polistes satan. Our results showed that in nest-founding phase colonies, variation of visual signals is linked to relative fertility, while chemical signals are related to dominance status. In addition, experiments revealed that higher hierarchical positions were occupied by subordinates with distinct proportions of cuticular hydrocarbons and distinct visual marks. Therefore, these wasps present cues that convey reliable information of their reproductive status.

Objectives: To report on a simple practical test for assessing acute estradiol vascular effects on healthy and unhealthy postmenopausal women., Introduction: Estradiol acts in the endothelium to promote vasodilatation through genomic and non-genomic mechanisms, but its vascular action may be impaired in diabetes mellitus, hypertension, smoking and obesity., Methods: Nineteen postmenopausal women (nine healthy and 10 with two or more of the above factors) of similar age and time since menopause were examined with vascular Doppler ultrasound. Resistance indexes and systolic and diastolic flow velocities were determined for the brachial and internal carotid arteries at baseline and 20 minutes after administration of a nasal estradiol formulation, available on the market, which reaches 1,200-1,500 pg/ml in the serum in 10-30 minutes. Estradiol blood levels were measured at 30 minutes., Results: The carotid resistance index increased 14.2% (vasoconstriction) in the unhealthy group after estradiol, from a mean +/- S.E. of 0.56 +/- 0.016 at baseline to 0.64 +/- 0.05 (p=0.033), and remained unchanged in healthy women. Brachial diastolic flow velocity increased 19.7% (vasodilatation) in healthy women, from 16.2 +/- 1.93 to 19.4 +/- 0.64 cm/s (p=0.046), and did not change in the unhealthy subjects. Estradiol levels were similar in both groups., Discussion: Healthy postmenopausal women showed brachial vasodilatation while unhealthy postmenopausal women displayed vasoconstriction at the carotid artery. Vascular responses to estradiol were divergent between the groups., Conclusions: The acute estradiol test, coupled with Doppler ultrasound, seemed to be able to differentiate women with normal and abnormal endothelial function in a simple, non-invasive manner.

Nestmate recognition is one the most important features in social insect colonies. Although epicuticular lipids or cuticular hydrocarbons have both structural and defensive functions in insects, they also seem to be involved in several aspects of communication in wasps, bees and ants. We analyzed and described for the first time the cuticular hydrocarbons of a Neotropical paper wasp, Polistes satan, and found that variation in hydrocarbon profile was sufficiently strong to discriminate individuals according to their colony membership. Therefore, it seems that small differences in the proportion of these compounds can be detected and used as a chemical-based cue by nestmates to detect invaders and avoid usurpation.

The method for plasma rotation measurement in the tokamak TCABR is reported in this article. During a discharge, an optical spectrometer is used to scan sequentially spectral lines of plasma impurities and spectral lines of a calibration lamp. Knowing the scanning velocity of the diffraction grating of the spectrometer with adequate precision, the Doppler shifts of impurity lines are determined. The photomultiplier output voltage signals are recorded with adequate sampling rate. With this method the residual poloidal and toroidal plasma rotation velocities were determined, assuming that they are the same as those of the impurity ions. The results show reasonable agreement with the neoclassical theory and with results from similar tokamaks.

Cor triatriatum (CT) is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly that usually becomes symptomatic in the first years of life. If the condition is not associated with other cardiac defects, and depending on the degree of communication between the upper chamber and left atrium (LA), patients may reach adulthood. We report a case of an asymptomatic, adult, female patient with CT diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) and followed-up during pregnancy.

Mangroves are common in estuaries along the Atlantic coast of Brazil. Although plant diversity is low, this ecosystem supports a range of animals, offering some resources for non-aquatic organisms. Many insects live in mangroves and, between them, many ant species that are exclusively arboreous. Mangroves throughout the world suffer from high levels of human impact, and this is particularly true for southeastern Bahia, where land-uses include traditional crab and fish exploitation, urban development, refuse pollution, recreation, and timber extraction. The ants of 13 mangrove sites, representing a range of levels of human use, have been studied along 250 km of the southern Bahia littoral, between Itacaré and Porto Seguro. Ants were sampled both inside and on the periphery of the tidal zone, using entomological rainbow, baiting, collect of hollow branches and pit-fall. A total of 108 species have been collected, with the richest genera being Camponotus and Pseudomyrmex, and the most frequent belonging to the genera Azteca and Crematogaster. The ant community living on the periphery of mangrove areas is rather homogeneous regardless of the degree of environmental perturbation, but varies markedly with the disturbance inside the mangroves themselves. The evolution of richness of the both communities, mangrove and periphery, is negatively related to the human effects, even limited to the periphery. Ant communities therefore have the potential to be useful as biological indicators of ecological impacts of land-use in these mangrove systems.

Immediate early gene expression in the CNS is induced by sensory stimulation and seems to be involved in long-term synaptic plasticity. We have used an immunohistochemical method to detect the nerve growth factor-induced gene A (NGFI-A) protein expression in the superficial layers of the rat superior colliculus during postnatal development. Our goal was to correlate the expression of this candidate plasticity protein with developmental events, especially the activity-dependent refinement of the retinocollicular and corticocollicular pathways. We have also investigated the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor dependence of the NGFI-A expression. Animals of various postnatal ages were used. Postnatal day (P) 12 and older animals were submitted to a protocol of dark adaptation followed by light stimulation. NGFI-A expression was never observed during the first 2 postnatal weeks. The first stained cells were observed at P15, 2 days after eye opening (P13). The highest number of stained cells was observed at the end of the third postnatal week (P22). Adult-like level of expression was reached at P30, since at this age, the number of stained cells was comparable to that found in adult rats (P90). Both P22 animals submitted to an acute treatment with MK-801 (i.p. injection) and adult animals submitted to chronic intracranial infusion of a MK-801 presented a clear decrease in the NGFI-A expression in response to light stimulation. These results suggest that the NGFI-A expression is dependent on the NMDA receptor activation, and the observed pattern of expression is in close agreement with previous descriptions of the changes in the NMDA receptor-mediated visual activity in the developing rat superior colliculus (SC). Our results suggest that the plasticity-related NGFI-A protein might play a role in the developmental plasticity of the superficial layers of the rat SC after eye opening.

Analytical approximations are used to clarify the effect of Larmour radius on rf ponderomotive forces and on poloidal flows induced by them in tokamak plasmas. The electromagnetic force is expressed as a sum of a gradient part and of a wave momentum transfer force, which is proportional to wave dissipation. The first part, called the gradient electromagnetic stress force, is combined with fluid dynamic (Reynolds) stress force, and gyroviscosity is included into viscosity force to model finite ion Larmour radius effects in the momentum response to the rf fields in plasmas. The expressions for the relative magnitude of different forces for kinetic Alfven waves and fast waves are derived.

Hydrodynamic equations to describe relativistic and ultrarelativistic plasma dynamics were obtained by Dzhavakhishvili and Tsintsadze [Sov. Phys. JETP 37, 666 (1973)] using the Chapman and Enskog scheme to solve the relativistic kinetic equations for the different plasma species. This approach leads to a representation of the particle viscosities in the Navier-Stokes form and, therefore, some relevant physical processes, such as the Burnett type of particle viscosity, cannot be properly dealt with in this scheme. In this paper we employ the extended Grad method to derive hydrodynamic equations which include ultrarelativistic viscosities of the Burnett type, i.e., viscosities that depend not only on derivatives of the particle macroscopic velocities but also on derivatives of particle heat fluxes.