Effects of acute toxicity of the pesticide Chlorpyrifos and the metal Cadmium, both individually and in mixtures, on two species of native neotropical cladocerans.

The excessive use of pesticides in agriculture and the widespread use of metals in industrial activities and or technological applications has significantly increased the concentrations of these pollutants in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, making aquatic biota increasingly vulnerable and putting many species at risk of extinction. Most aquatic habitats receive pollutants from various anthropogenic actions, leading to interactions between compounds that make them even more toxic. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the compounds Chlorpyrifos (insecticide) and Cadmium (metal), both individually and in mixtures, on the cladocerans Ceriodaphnia rigaudi and Ceriodaphnia silvestrii. Acute toxicity tests were conducted for the compounds individually and in mixture, and an ecological risk assessment (ERA) was performed for both compounds. Acute toxicity tests with Cadmium resulted in EC50-48 h of 0.020 mg L-1 for C. rigaudi and 0.026 mg L-1 for C. silvestrii, while tests with Chlorpyrifos resulted in EC50-48 h of 0.047 µg L-1 and 0.062 µg L-1, respectively. The mixture test for C. rigaudi showed the occurrence of additive effects, while for C. silvestrii, antagonistic effects occurred depending on the dose level. The species sensitivity distribution curve for crustaceans, rotifers, amphibians, and fishes resulted in an HC5 of 3.13 and an HC50 of 124.7 mg L-1 for Cadmium; an HC5 of 9.96 and an HC50 of 5.71 µg L-1 for Chlorpyrifos. Regarding the ERA values, Cadmium represented a high risk, while Chlorpyrifos represented an insignificant to a high risk.

Dectin-2 is critical for phagocyte function and resistance to Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in mice.

Germline-encoded pattern recognition receptors, particularly C-type lectin receptors (CLRs), are essential for phagocytes to sense invading fungal cells. Among CLRs, Dectin-2 (encoded by Clec4n) plays a critical role in the antifungal immune response as it recognizes high-mannose polysaccharides on the fungal cell wall, triggering phagocyte functional activities and ultimately determining adaptive responses. Here, we assessed the role of Dectin-2 on the course of primary Paracoccidioides brasiliensis systemic infection in mice with Dectin-2-targeted deletion. Paracoccidioides brasiliensis constitutes the principal etiologic agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, the most prominent invasive mycosis in Latin American countries. The deficiency of Dectin-2 resulted in shortened survival rates, high lung fungal burden, and increased lung pathology in mice infected with P. brasiliensis. Consistently, dendritic cells (DCs) from mice lacking Dectin-2 infected ex vivo with P. brasiliensis showed impaired secretion of several proinflammatory and regulatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-10. Additionally, when cocultured with splenic lymphocytes, DCs were less efficient in promoting a type 1 cytokine pattern secretion (i.e., IFN-γ). In macrophages, Dectin-2-mediated signaling was required to ensure phagocytosis and fungicidal activity associated with nitric oxide production. Overall, Dectin-2-mediated signaling is critical to promote host protection against P. brasiliensis infection, and its exploitation might lead to the development of new vaccines and immunotherapeutic approaches.

We report a critical role of the innate immune receptor Dectin-2 during Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection. Fungal sensing by Dectin-2 improved the survival of mice and lowered fungal burden. Further, Dectin-2 was required for cytokine production, phagocytosis, and fungal killing by phagocytes.

Systematic review: exploring outcomes of commercial and homemade blenderized tube-feeding regimens on feeding tolerance in pediatric patients.

CONTEXT: Increasing numbers of patients and caregivers are requesting transition to blenderized tube feeding. There is a lack of systematic reviews addressing the outcomes of blenderized tube feeding. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to evaluate the association of blenderized tube feeding on feeding tolerance in enterally fed pediatric patients. DATA SOURCES: A literature search for articles from 2012-2022 using PubMed, Medline, Embase, and CINAHL yielded 78 articles. DATA EXTRACTION: A description and evaluation of the study's sample, purpose, and results were summarized for 9 studies using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Evidence Analysis Library Worksheet. DATA ANALYSIS: Nine studies were evaluated using the Evidence Analysis Library Quality Criteria checklist. CONCLUSIONS: Studies demonstrated an improvement in vomiting (n = 7), gagging/retching and heartburn (n = 6), abdominal pain/upset and distension (n = 3), and diarrhea (n = 6) with blenderized tube feeding. The outcomes of blenderized tube feeding on gas (n = 5) and constipation (n = 9) are variable and remain unclear. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42022369247.

Sugarcane cystatins: From discovery to biotechnological applications.

Phytocystatins are tight-binding cysteine protease inhibitors produced by plants. The first phytocystatin described was isolated from Oryza sativa and, since then, cystatins from several plant species were reported, including from sugarcane. Sugarcane cystatins were unraveled in Sugarcane EST project database, after sequencing of cDNA libraries from various sugarcane tissues at different developmental stages and six sugarcane cystatins were cloned, expressed and characterized (CaneCPI-1 to CaneCPI-6). These recombinant proteins were produced in different expression systems and inhibited several cysteine proteases, including human cathepsins B and L, which can be involved in pathologies, such as cancer. In this review, we summarize a comprehensive history of all sugarcane cystatins, presenting an updated phylogenetic analysis; chromosomal localization, and genomic organization. We also present protein docking of CaneCPI-5 in the active site of human cathepsin B, insights about canecystatins structures; recombinant expression in different systems, comparison of their inhibitory activities against human cysteine cathepsins B, K, L, S, V, falcipains from Plasmodium falciparum and a cathepsin L-like from the sugarcane weevil Sphenophorus levis; and enlighten their potential and current applications in agriculture and health.

Acute toxicity of four metals to three tropical aquatic invertebrates: The dragonfly Tramea cophysa and the ostracods Chlamydotheca sp. and Strandesia trispinosa.

The relatively low availability of toxicity data for indigenous tropical species has often been discussed. In addition, several taxonomic groups of invertebrates are understudied, such as dragonflies and ostracods. The aim of the present study was therefore to evaluate the acute toxicity of four metals (cadmium - Cd, copper - Cu, manganese - Mn, and mercury - Hg) to the tropical dragonfly nymphs of Tramea cophysa and two tropical ostracod species (Chlamydotheca sp. and Strandesia trispinosa). Toxicity data for other invertebrates were also mined to allow comparing the sensitivity of the three test species with that of other (temperate and tropical) invertebrates. The order of metal sensitivity was different for the three test species: T. cophysa: Cu > CdHg > Mn, Chlamydotheca sp.: Cd > Cu > Hg > Mn, and S. trispinosa: Cd > Hg > Cu > Mn. However, manganese was the least toxic metal tested for all three species, which is hypothesized to be due to a possible metal transfer to the cuticle of the moulting test species. The sensitivity ranking of the three test species to the metals was S. trispinosa > Chlamydotheca sp.>T. cophysa (except for Cu for which the ranking was Chlamydotheca sp.>T. cophysa > S. trispinosa). Overall, the test species are concluded to be suitable test organisms for tropical toxicity evaluations. Future studies should also evaluate the chronic toxicity and include other important metal exposure routes such as sediment and food.

Sensitivity of tropical cladocerans to chlorpyrifos and other insecticides as compared to their temperate counterparts.

The use of temperate toxicity data in tropical risk assessments has often been disputed. Previous sensitivity comparisons between temperate and tropical species, however, have not shown a consistent sensitivity difference between climatically-distinct species. Such comparisons were often limited by a small tropical toxicity dataset. In addition, differences in the taxonomic compositions of the temperate and tropical species assemblages used to construct species sensitivity distributions curves also hampered direct comparisons (e.g. type and ration of crustaceans and insects). The aim of the present study was to compare the sensitivity of temperate and tropical cladocerans to insecticides. Acute laboratory toxicity tests were conducted with five Neotropical cladocerans exposed to a concentration series of the insecticide chlorpyrifos. Subsequently, their EC50 values were compared with those reported in the literature for non-tropical cladocerans. An additional literature toxicity data search for insecticides other than chlorpyrifos was also conducted for both temperate and tropical cladocerans to enable a comparison for a wider range of insecticides and taxa. The order of sensitivity of the native cladocerans to chlorpyrifos was Ceriodaphnia silvestrii (0.039 µg L-1) > Diaphanosoma birgei (0.211 µg L-1) = Daphnia laevis (0.216 µg L-1) > Moina micrura (0.463 µg L-1) = Macrothrix flabelligera (0.619 µg L-1). A regulatory acceptable concentration based on temperate cladoceran toxicity data of both chlorpyrifos and other insecticides also appeared to be sufficiently protective for tropical cladoceran species. Implications for the use of temperate toxicity data in tropical risk assessments and indications for tropical cladoceran test species selection are discussed.

Sensitivities of three tropical indigenous freshwater invertebrates to single and mixture exposures of diuron and carbofuran and their commercial formulations.

As compared to their temperate counterparts, few toxicity tests have been conducted so far into the evaluation of the sensitivity of indigenous tropical species to pesticides. Especially mixture toxicity assessments appear to be scarce. To contribute to increase our knowledge in this arena, we evaluated the acute toxicity of diuron and carbofuran and their mixtures to the neotropical oligochaetes Allonais inaequalis and Dero furcatus, and the ostracod Strandesia trispinosa. Tests were performed with both the pure active ingredients, as well as their formulated products. The toxicity of the latter to the three test organisms was generally greater than that of the pure active ingredients, although absolute differences were rather small. The sensitivity of the indigenous species was slightly greater than temperate test species from the same taxonomic groups. The concentration addition conceptual model best described the results of the mixture toxicity data. Derived deviations of this model appeared to be dependent on the test organism and as to whether the pesticides were applied as active ingredients or their commercial products. Reported field concentrations of the two pesticides indicate risks to freshwater biota, especially if they are both present. The test species used in the present study are concluded to be suitable candidates as surrogate test organisms in local pesticide risk evaluations.