Potential of coffee straw biochal as a substrate conditioner in seed lettuce and sorghum germination and vigority.

The use of residues from coffee production to obtain biochar is a sustainable approach, which aims to minimize the environmental impact of these materials. In this study, the effect of adding coffee straw biochar on the physiological quality of lettuce and sorghum seeds was investigated. Thus, the objective of this work was to study the effect of adding different concentrations of coffee biochar in the substrate composition on the physiological quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) seeds. The experimental design used was completely randomized, with five concentrations of biochar (0; 7.5; 15; 30 and 60%), conducted with four replications of 25 seeds. The use of biochar in the concentrations studied does not provide an increase in the average germination percentage and vigor of lettuce and sorghum seeds. The increase in the concentration of biochar caused less seed vigor, suggesting a toxic effect. For seed germination, there was no significant difference between lettuce and sorghum species, regardless of treatment. For the germination speed index, sorghum seeds have higher means, except for the treatment with the addition of 15% coffee straw biochar. Lettuce seeds have higher shoot length averages, except for treatment with 100% commercial substrate. The sorghum seeds have higher mean root length and dry mass than lettuce, regardless of the treatment.

Selectivity of herbicides used in corn on Crotalaria ochroleuca G. Don.

In the cropping systems that integrate the corn crop, the insertion of Crotalaria ochroleuca G. Don is predominantly intercropped. In this context, there is a need to observe herbicides that present selectivity for this sunn hemp species. The objective of this study was to evaluate the selectivity of pre and post-emergent herbicides on C. ochroleuca. Two field experiments were conducted in randomized blocks with four replications, involving the pre-emergence and post-emergence application of different herbicide treatments. For the pre-emergent ones, amicarbazone, atrazine and flumioxazin provided phytotoxicity higher than 90% and, consequently, low plant biomass. On the other hand, acetochlor and s-metolachlor did not cause phytotoxicity and did not affect the dry mass of crotalaria. In post-emergence, atrazine + mesotrione showed phytotoxicity >95%, followed by nicosulfuron and 2.4-D with phytotoxicity between 50-60%, whereas tembotrione did not cause injury to the plants. Thus, it was found that among the pre-emergent, acetochlor and s-metolachlor were selective, and for the emerging powders, only tembotrione was the most selective for all parameters analyzed.

Stock market efficiency: An intraday case of study about the G-20 group.

Given the importance of the financial markets in the global context, data analysis and new statistical approach are always welcome, especially if we are referring to G-20 group (the world's richest countries). As we know, the pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 has affected the global economy, and its impact seems to be inevitable (as it was in 2020). From the perspective of what was raised above, this paper aims to analyze the stock market efficiency in 21 indexes of G-20. We are going to do our analysis with intraday scale (of hour), from May 2019 to May 2020. In order to be successful in this analysis, we applied the DFA and the DCCA methods, to identify or not two points:i)Are G-20 stock market efficient in their weak form?ii)With open/close values, it is possible to identify some type of memory in G-20 group? The answer to these points will be given throughout this paper. For this purpose, the entire analysis will be divided into two different time-scale: Period I, time-scale less than five days and Period II, with time-scale greater than ten days. In the pandemic times of COVID-19, our results show that taking into account the DFA method, for time-scale shorter than 5 days, the stock markets tend to be efficient, whereas for time-scale longer than 10 days, the stock market tend to be inefficient. But, with DCCA method for cross-correlation analysis, the results for open/close indexes show different types of behaviors for each stock market index separately.

Effect of strain and nutritional density of the diet on the water-protein ratio, fat and collagen levels in the breast and legs of broilers slaughtered at different ages.

Many requirements are necessary to meet the European Union rules to export poultry, including the amount of physiological water and water-protein ratio (WPR) in carcasses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify if strain, nutrition, and age affect the amount of collagen and fat and the WPR in cuts and verify whether the latter meets the international export standards. A total of 3,240 male chicks were housed in a completely randomized design in a 3 × 3 × 5 factorial arrangement, which included 3 nutritional densities (regular, medium, and high), 3 strains (021 Embrapa and 2 commercial strains identified as A and B), and 5 ages. Twelve broilers from each treatment (totaling 540 birds) were slaughtered at 28, 35, 42, 49, and 56 D of age to determine collagen and fat levels and WPR (through the calculation of moisture and protein percentage) in broiler breasts and legs using the near-infrared spectroscopy method. The use of feeds with different nutritional densities presented in this study has no effect on the WPR in the breast and legs of broilers slaughtered between 28 and 56 D of age. However, nutritional density influences liveweight and percentage of fat in the breast and legs. Collagen percentage in the legs decreases with increasing nutritional density. The 021 Embrapa strain cuts present a lower WPR than those of other commercial strains. However, the values found for all strains studied are within the limits of the Europe Union and Brazilian legislations. The liveweight, breast weight, leg weight, and leg fat increases linearly with age. Quite the opposite, water protein ratio, breast fat level, and breast collagen level decrease linearly with age. Leg WPR and leg collagen level are not affected by age. Despite the differences found for strains, nutritional densities and age readers should be aware that these factors may interact with each other depending on the response variable studied.

Virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the production process of Minas artisanal cheese from the region of Campo das Vertentes, Brazil.

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the main pathogens found in cheeses produced with raw milk, including Minas artisanal cheese from Brazil. However, information about S. aureus isolated from artisanal cheeses and its sources of production in small-scale dairies is very limited. We aimed to characterize the virulence factors of S. aureus isolated from raw milk, endogenous starter culture, Minas artisanal cheese, and cheese handlers from the region of Campo das Vertentes, Minas Gerais, Brazil. We identified the staphylococcal isolates by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. We evaluated biofilm production on Congo red agar and polystyrene plates. We used PCR to detect icaA, icaB, icaC, sea, seb, sec, sed, see, tsst-1, agr, and mecA. We evaluated the expression of staphylococcal toxin genes in PCR-positive staphylococcal isolates using quantitative reverse-transcription PCR, and we evaluated the production of these toxins and their hemolytic activity in vitro. We also evaluated the antimicrobial resistance profile of the staphylococcal isolates. For statistical analysis, we used cluster analysis, χ2 tests, and correspondence tests. We analyzed 76 staphylococcal isolates. According to PCR, 18.42, 18.42, 2.63, and 77.63% were positive for sea, tsst-1, sec, and agr, respectively. We found low expression of staphylococcal toxin genes according to quantitative reverse-transcription PCR, and only 2 staphylococcal isolates produced toxic shock syndrome toxins. A total of 43 staphylococcal isolates (56.58%) had hemolytic activity; 53 were biofilm-forming on Congo red agar (69.73%), and 62 on polystyrene plates (81.58%). None of the staphylococcal isolates expressed the mecA gene, and none presented a multi-drug resistance pattern. The highest resistance was observed for penicillin G (67.11%) in 51 isolates and for tetracycline (27.63%) in 21 isolates. The staphylococcal isolates we evaluated had toxigenic potential, with a higher prevalence of sea and tsst-1. Biofilm production was the main virulence factor of the studied bacteria. Six clusters were formed whose distribution frequencies differed for hemolytic activity, biofilm formation (qualitative and quantitative analyses), and resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, and erythromycin. These findings emphasize the need for effective measures to prevent staphylococcal food poisoning by limiting S. aureus growth and enterotoxin formation throughout the food production chain and the final product.

Perfil dos acidentes escorpiônicos, no período de 2007 a 2019 no município de Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco, Brasil / Profile of scorponic accidents in the period from 2007 to 2019 in the municipality of Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco, Brazil

Objetivou-se com este estudo traçar o perfil epidemiológico dos acidentes escorpiônicos no município de Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco, no período de 2007 a 2019, com dados obtidos do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN). Foram notificados 10908 acidentes causados por escorpiões no período do estudo, sendo 31,6% na faixa etária de 20 a 39 anos, 14,9% entre 0 a 9 anos , 11,7 % para 60 anos ou mais e 76,9% na zona urbana. Dos casos notificados 61,1% ocorreram em mulheres. Em relação ao local da picada, 46,4% foram nos membros inferiores. As manifestações locais foram relatadas em 77,9% dos casos e as sistêmicas em 1,4%. Verificou-se que 86,8% dos casos mais comuns foram os do tipo leve. Apenas 0,6% dos acidentes estiveram relacionados ao trabalho. Os casos evoluíram para cura em 85,0% (9279) do número de notificações. Concluiu-se que o perfil os acidentes por escorpiões acometem a população de 20 a 39 anos, principalmente do sexo feminino e as extremidades dos membros e recomenda-se então ações integradas entre a Vigilância e Atenção Primária em Saúde, para implantação de ações de educação popular em saúde em escolas e Unidades Básicas de Saúde.

The objective of this study was to trace the epidemiological profile of the scorpionic accidents in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco, from 2007 to 2019, with data from the SINAN. A total of 10908 scorpions were recorded during the study period, with 30,1% being between 20 and 39 years of age, 14,9% between 0 and 9 years old, 11,7% for 60 years old and over and, 76,9% in the urban area. Of the reported cases, 61,1% were women. Regarding the site of the bite, 46,4% were in the lower limbs. Local manifestations were reported in 77,9% of cases and as systemic in 1,4%. It was verified that 86,8% of the most common cases were mild type. Only 0,6% of the discs are work related. The cases evolved to cure in 85,0% (9279) of the notifications. It was concluded the profile scorpion accidents ffect a population aged 20 to 39 years, mainly females and the extremities of the limbs, and integrated actions between Surveillance and Primary Health Care are therefore recommended for the implementation of popular health education actions in schools and Basic Health Units.

PERFIL DOS ACIDENTES ESCORPIÔNICOS, NO PERÍODO DE 2007 A 2019 NO MUNICÍPIO DE JABOATÃO DOS GUARARAPES, PERNAMBUCO, BRASIL

Objetivou-se com este estudo traçar o perfil epidemiológico dos acidentes escorpiônicos no município de Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco, no período de 2007 a 2019, com dados obtidos do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN). Foram notificados 10908 acidentes causados por escorpiões no período do estudo, sendo 31,6% na faixa etária de 20 a 39 anos, 14,9% entre 0 a 9 anos , 11,7 % para 60 anos ou mais e 76,9% na zona urbana. Dos casos notificados 61,1% ocorreram em mulheres. Em relação ao local da picada, 46,4% foram nos membros inferiores. As manifestações locais foram relatadas em 77,9% dos casos e as sistêmicas em 1,4%. Verificou-se que 86,8% dos casos mais comuns foram os do tipo leve. Apenas 0,6% dos acidentes estiveram relacionados ao trabalho. Os casos evoluíram para cura em 85,0% (9279) do número de notificações. Concluiu-se que o perfil os acidentes por escorpiões acometem a população de 20 a 39 anos, principalmente do sexo feminino e as extremidades dos membros e recomenda-se então ações integradas entre a Vigilância e Atenção Primária em Saúde, para implantação de ações de educação popular em saúde em escolas e Unidades Básicas de Saúde.

Perfil dos acidentes escorpiônicos, no período de 2007 a 2019 no município de Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco, Brasil / Profile of scorponic accidents in the period from 2007 to 2019 in the municipality of Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco, Brazil

Objetivou-se com este estudo traçar o perfil epidemiológico dos acidentes escorpiônicos no município de Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco, no período de 2007 a 2019, com dados obtidos do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN). Foram notificados 10908 acidentes causados por escorpiões no período do estudo, sendo 31,6% na faixa etária de 20 a 39 anos, 14,9% entre 0 a 9 anos , 11,7 % para 60 anos ou mais e 76,9% na zona urbana. Dos casos notificados 61,1% ocorreram em mulheres. Em relação ao local da picada, 46,4% foram nos membros inferiores. As manifestações locais foram relatadas em 77,9% dos casos e as sistêmicas em 1,4%. Verificou-se que 86,8% dos casos mais comuns foram os do tipo leve. Apenas 0,6% dos acidentes estiveram relacionados ao trabalho. Os casos evoluíram para cura em 85,0% (9279) do número de notificações. Concluiu-se que o perfil os acidentes por escorpiões acometem a população de 20 a 39 anos, principalmente do sexo feminino e as extremidades dos membros e recomenda-se então ações integradas entre a Vigilância e Atenção Primária em Saúde, para implantação de ações de educação popular em saúde em escolas e Unidades Básicas de Saúde.(AU)

The objective of this study was to trace the epidemiological profile of the scorpionic accidents in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco, from 2007 to 2019, with data from the SINAN. A total of 10908 scorpions were recorded during the study period, with 30,1% being between 20 and 39 years of age, 14,9% between 0 and 9 years old, 11,7% for 60 years old and over and, 76,9% in the urban area. Of the reported cases, 61,1% were women. Regarding the site of the bite, 46,4% were in the lower limbs. Local manifestations were reported in 77,9% of cases and as systemic in 1,4%. It was verified that 86,8% of the most common cases were mild type. Only 0,6% of the discs are work related. The cases evolved to cure in 85,0% (9279) of the notifications. It was concluded the profile scorpion accidents ffect a population aged 20 to 39 years, mainly females and the extremities of the limbs, and integrated actions between Surveillance and Primary Health Care are therefore recommended for the implementation of popular health education actions in schools and Basic Health Units.(AU)

Tempeh & soybean seed coat: the alternative sources of trans-resveratrol as neuroprotective agents / Tempeh y cubierta de semillas de soja: fuentes alternativas de trans-resveratrol como agentes neuroprotectores

Resveratrol is a stilbenoid, a type of natural phenol, and a phytoalexin produced by several plants in response to injury or attack by fungi. The underutilization of soybean seed coat (Glycine max (L.) Merrill.) and tempeh, cheap Indonesia fermented food thus opens up a new opportunity for developing a Resveratrol-based medicine for Plants-Derived Neuroprotective Agents purposes. In this study, it was isolated from tempeh, ordinarily well-known as Indonesian soybean fermented food, and soybean seed coat. The finding of this compound was confirmed by TLC and HPLC analysis applying fluorescence detection. From this, the Rf-value for transresveratrol is 0.64. As eluent, a mixture of chloroform, ethyl acetate, and formic acid (2.5+1+0.1, v/v) was selected. In addition, retention time for tempeh was 14.467 and for soybean seed coat was 11.977. The extraction yield of resveratrol was 65.15 % in tempeh and 55.35 % in soybean seed coat. Resveratrol isolated from Tempeh and Soybean seed coat gave prevents some reaction by modulating intracellular signaling pathways: protein kinase C (PKC), a family of 12 serine/ threonine kinases and providing a new lead molecule for neuroprotective affects in addition to has prevented cell death by apoptosis.

El resveratrol es un estilbenoide, un tipo de fenol natural, y fitoalexina producida por varias plantas en respuesta a una lesión o ataque de hongos. La subutilización de la cubierta de la semilla de soja (Glycine max (L.) Merrill.) y el tempeh, alimento fermentado barato de Indonesia, abren una nueva oportunidad para obtener un medicamento a base de resveratrol para propósitos de desarrollo de agentes neuroprotectores derivados de plantas. En este estudio, se aisló el resveratrol del tempeh, generalmente conocido como alimento fermentado de soja de Indonesia y de la cubierta de la semilla de soja. El hallazgo de este compuesto se confirmó mediante análisis de TLC y HPLC aplicando detección de fluorescencia. A partir de esto, el valor de Rf para trans-resveratrol es 0,64. Como eluyente, se seleccionó una mezcla de cloroformo, acetato de etilo y ácido fórmico (2,5 + 1 + 0,1, v / v). Además, el tiempo de retención para el tempeh fue de 14,467 y para el revestimiento de semilla de soja fue de 11,977. El rendimiento de extracción del resveratrol fue del 65,15 % en tempeh y del 55,35 % en la cubierta de la semilla de soja. El resveratrol aislado de tempeh y de la cubierta de la semilla de soja previno reacciones mediante la modulación de ciertas vías de señalización intracelular: proteína quinasa C (PKC), una familia de 12 serina/treonin quinasas, proporcionando una nueva molécula de plomo con efectos neuroprotectores, además de prevenir la muerte celular por apoptosis.

Spatiotemporal distribution of a non-haematophagous bat community and rabies virus circulation: a proposal for urban rabies surveillance in Brazil.

In Brazil, rabies surveillance is based on monitoring domestic and wild animals, although the most prevalent lineage of the rabies virus (RABV) currently diagnosed in Brazil is associated with bats, particularly non-haematophagous bats. Disease control is based on the mass vaccination of dogs and cats. We used data collected by the passive surveillance system of the city of Campinas from 2011 to 2015, to describe the temporal and geographic distributions of the bat specimens and RABV and discuss the current rabies surveillance with the advent of the declaration of canine and feline rabies-free areas in Brazil. We described the species, locations and health statuses of the collected bat specimens. Moreover, all samples were submitted for RABV diagnosis. Then, we performed a time series decomposition for each bat family. Additionally, we determined the spatiotemporal relative risk for RABV infection using the ratio of the kernel-smoothed estimates of spatiotemporal densities of RABV-positive and RABV-negative bats. From the 2537 bat specimens, the most numerous family was Molossidae (72%), followed by Vespertilionidae (14%) and Phyllostomidae (13%). The bat families behaved differently in terms of seasonal and spatial patterns. The distribution of bats varied geographically in the urban environment, with Molossidae and Phyllostomidae being observed downtown and Vespertilionidae being observed in peripheral zones. Concurrently, a significant relative risk of RABV infection was observed downtown for Vespertilionidae and in peripheral zones for Molossidae. No RABV-positive sample clusters were observed. As a result of the official declaration of RABV-free areas in southern Brazil, mass dog and cat vaccinations are expected to halt in the near future. This stoppage would make most dog and cat populations susceptible to other RABV lineages, such as those maintained by non-haematophagous bats. In this scenario, all information available on bats and RABV distribution in urban areas is essential. Currently, few studies have been conducted. Some local health authorities, such as that in Campinas, are spontaneously basing their surveillance efforts on bat rabies, which is the alternative in reality scenario of increased susceptibility to bat-associated RABV that is developing in Brazil.

Atypical Motor Neuron Disease variants: Still a diagnostic challenge in Neurology.

Motor neuron disease (MND) represents a wide and heterogeneous expanding group of disorders involving the upper or lower motor neurons, mainly represented by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), primary lateral sclerosis, progressive muscular atrophy and progressive bulbar palsy. Primary motor neuronopathies are characterized by progressive degenerative loss of anterior horn cell motoneurons (lower motor neurons) or loss of giant pyramidal Betz cells (upper motor neurons). Despite its well-known natural history, pathophysiological and clinical characteristics for the most common MND, atypical clinical presentation and neurodegenerative mechanisms are commonly observed in rare clinical entities, so-called atypical variants of MND-ALS, including flail-leg syndrome, flail-arm syndrome, facial-onset sensory and motor neuronopathy (FOSMN), finger extension weakness and downbeat nystagmus (FEWDON-MND) and long-lasting and juvenile MND-ALS. Herein, we provide a review article presenting clinical, genetic, pathophysiological and neuroimaging findings of atypical variants of MND-ALS in clinical practice.

Nutritional Risk by Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), but Not Anthropometric Measurements, Has a Good Discriminatory Power for Identifying Frailty in Elderly People: Data from Brazilian Secondary Care Clinic.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate, in elderly individuals registered at a secondary outpatient clinic, the prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty and to identify the discriminatory power of anthropometric measurements and nutritional risk in identifying these conditions. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study with data extracted from medical records. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Elderly patients (60+ years) from a geriatric outpatient clinic, located in the southeast area of São Paulo, Brazil. MEASUREMENTS: Frailty was assessed using five criteria proposed by Fried et al (2001), with some modifications. Nutritional risk was identified using Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Body weight and body height were measured and used to calculate the body mass index (BMI). The discriminatory power of these parameters for the identification of frailty was determined by Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves. RESULTS: The final sample was composed of 254 patients, from which 31.1% were identified as frail and 53.5% as prefrail. The MNA indicated that 3.1% were malnourished and 35.4% were at risk of malnutrition. The BMI values 39.4% as overweight/obese and 19.9% as undernourished. As just the MNA revealed differences for frailty classification, only this parameter was investigated by ROC curve. The discriminatory power of the MNA for frailty presented a best cut-off point of ≤23.0 and the AUC was 0.812 (sensitivity=55.7; specificity=94.9), with a youden index of 0.5057 (95%CI= 0.3146-0.5946). MNA did not present sufficient discriminatory power to detect pre-frailty. CONCLUSION: The MNA was capable of indicating frailty, but not pre-frailty in this sample. BMI did not display significant predictive power for frailty or pre-frailty.

Ciliated microeukaryotes (Alveolata: Ciliophora) of a lotic urban system located in Minas Gerais - Brazil

The phylum Ciliophora is organized in 14 classes with ~8,000 described species ( Gao et al., 2016 ). Among unicellular microeukaryotes, ciliates are the most specialized, diversified and with the highest complexity in terms of cellular organization ( Puytorac, 1994 ). They typically occupy basal trophic levels and display a wide geographical distribution occurring in almost all environments such as marine, fresh and brackish waters, and also in edaphic systems like soils, mosses and lichens ( Lynn, 2008 ). Their diversity in lotic systems have been extensively studied in the northern hemisphere because of their potential use as water quality bioindicators ( Wiackowski, 1981 ; Primc, 1988 ; Groliére et al., 1990; Madoni, 2005 ). However, scarce information is available in literature about their diversity in aquatic ecosystems in Brazil, even though its privileged hydrological condition. The access to ciliate diversity and biogeography is a challenge tasks because they are diminute organisms, difficult to identify ( Finlay and Fenchel, 1999 ), there is a lack of experienced specialists ( Foissner, 2006 ) and a number of species stay encysted for most of their life cycles ( Foissner, 2004 ). In Brazil, significant works were performed with this emphasis such as conducted in Rio Grande do Sul (Safi et al., 2014), Paraná ( Pauleto et al., 2009 ; Buosi et al., 2011 ; Velho et al., 2005 , 2013 ), São Paulo ( Bagantini et al., 2013 ; Regali-Seleghim et al., 2011 ), Pará ( Castro et al., 2014 ), Minas Gerais ( Dias et al., 2008 , 2010 ) and Rio de Janeiro ( Paiva and Silva-Neto, 2004a , b ) states. Inventory studies constitute the first step for development of applied biotechnological usage of ciliates. Regali-Seleghim et al. (2011) highlight the importance of more works surveying the diversity of ciliates in less studied regions of Brazil given their ecological importance. Moreover, establishment of in vitrocultures will contribute with information to biomonitoring programs ( Madoni and Romeo, 2006 ; Shi et al., 2012 ) and for better evaluation of the biotechnological potential of these organisms ( Mansano et al., 2016 ). This present work aimed to survey the diversity of the species of ciliated protists in a neotropical lotic urban system located in Southern region of Minas Gerais state, Brazil.(AU)

Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli and Escherichia albertii in Brazil: pathotypes and serotypes over a 6-year period of surveillance.

Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) is a leading cause of infectious diarrhoea worldwide. In recent years, Escherichia albertii has also been implicated as a cause of human enteric diseases. This study describes the occurrence of E. coli pathotypes and serotypes associated with enteric illness and haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) isolated in Brazil from 2011 to 2016. Pathotypes isolated included enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). PCR of stool enrichments for DEC pathotypes was employed, and E. albertii was also sought. O:H serotyping was performed on all DEC isolates. A total of 683 DEC and 10 E. albertii strains were isolated from 5047 clinical samples. The frequencies of DEC pathotypes were 52.6% (359/683) for EPEC, 32.5% for EAEC, 6.3% for ETEC, 4.4% for EIEC and 4.2% for STEC. DEC strains occurred in patients from 3 months to 96 years old, but EPEC, EAEC and STEC were most prevalent among children. Both typical and atypical isolates of EPEC and EAEC were recovered and presented great serotype heterogeneity. HUS cases were only associated with STEC serotype O157:H7. Two E. albertii isolates belonged to serogroup O113 and one had the stx2f gene. The higher prevalence of atypical EPEC in relation to EAEC in community-acquired diarrhoea in Brazil suggests a shift in the trend of DEC pathotypes circulation as previously EAEC predominated. This is the first report of E. albertii isolation from active surveillance. These results highlight the need of continuing DEC and E. albertii surveillance, as a mean to detect changes in the pattern of pathotypes and serotypes circulation and provide useful information for intervention and control strategies.

Avaliação de um controle estratégico da artrite encefalite caprina em rebanho caprino leiteiro / Evaluation of strategic control of caprine arthritis- encephalitis in dairy herd goats

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a utilização periódica de testes de diagnóstico mais sensíveis aliados às práticas de manejo, visando ao controle eficaz da artrite encefalite caprina (CAE). Foram realizadas oito coletas de sangue em matrizes e reprodutores. Da primeira à sétima análise, as coletas foram quadrimestrais, utilizando-se os testes de imunodifusão em gel de agarose (IDGA), ensaio imunoenzimático indireto (ELISA-i) e Western Blot (WB). A oitava coleta aconteceu seis meses após a sétima, utilizando-se o WB e a reação em cadeia de polimerase (PCR). A prevalência da CAE foi de 6,8%, 14,9% e 39,2% no IDGA, ELISA-i e WB, respectivamente. Na última análise, foram detectados 0,9% de animais positivos pelo WB e 10,8% pela PCR. Apesar de não erradicarem a CAE, as medidas adotadas, aliadas à utilização periódica dos testes sorológicos e à combinação com a PCR, foram importantes para reduzir significativamente os animais soropositivos no rebanho.(AU)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the periodic use of more sensitive diagnostic tests associated to management practices for the effective control of caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE). We carried out eight blood samples in does and bucks. From the first to the seventh analysis, the samples were quarterly, using Agarose Gel Immunodiffusion (AGID), Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (i-ELISA) and Western Blot (WB) tests. The eighth collection was made six months after the seventh, using the WB and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The prevalence of CAE was 6.8%, 14.9% and 39.2% in the AGID, i-ELISA and WB respectively. The last analysis detected 0.9% of animals positive by WB and 10.8% by PCR. Although they do not eradicate CAE, steps taken together with the periodic use of serological tests and the combination with PCR were important to significantly reduce positive animals in the herd.(AU)

Avaliação de um controle estratégico da artrite encefalite caprina em rebanho caprino leiteiro / Evaluation of strategic control of caprine arthritis- encephalitis in dairy herd goats

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a utilização periódica de testes de diagnóstico mais sensíveis aliados às práticas de manejo, visando ao controle eficaz da artrite encefalite caprina (CAE). Foram realizadas oito coletas de sangue em matrizes e reprodutores. Da primeira à sétima análise, as coletas foram quadrimestrais, utilizando-se os testes de imunodifusão em gel de agarose (IDGA), ensaio imunoenzimático indireto (ELISA-i) e Western Blot (WB). A oitava coleta aconteceu seis meses após a sétima, utilizando-se o WB e a reação em cadeia de polimerase (PCR). A prevalência da CAE foi de 6,8%, 14,9% e 39,2% no IDGA, ELISA-i e WB, respectivamente. Na última análise, foram detectados 0,9% de animais positivos pelo WB e 10,8% pela PCR. Apesar de não erradicarem a CAE, as medidas adotadas, aliadas à utilização periódica dos testes sorológicos e à combinação com a PCR, foram importantes para reduzir significativamente os animais soropositivos no rebanho.(AU)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the periodic use of more sensitive diagnostic tests associated to management practices for the effective control of caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE). We carried out eight blood samples in does and bucks. From the first to the seventh analysis, the samples were quarterly, using Agarose Gel Immunodiffusion (AGID), Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (i-ELISA) and Western Blot (WB) tests. The eighth collection was made six months after the seventh, using the WB and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The prevalence of CAE was 6.8%, 14.9% and 39.2% in the AGID, i-ELISA and WB respectively. The last analysis detected 0.9% of animals positive by WB and 10.8% by PCR. Although they do not eradicate CAE, steps taken together with the periodic use of serological tests and the combination with PCR were important to significantly reduce positive animals in the herd.(AU)

Phytophthora parasitica Effector PpRxLR2 Suppresses Nicotiana benthamiana Immunity.

Phytophthora species secrete several classes of effector proteins during interaction with their hosts. These proteins can have multiple functions including modulation of host physiology and immunity. The RxLR effectors have the ability to enter plant cells using the plant machinery. Some of these effectors have been characterized as immunity suppressors; however, very little is known about their functions in the interaction between Phytophthora parasitica and its hosts. Using a bioinformatics pipeline, we have identified 172 candidate RxLR effectors (CREs) in the isolate IAC 01_95 of P. parasitica. Of these 172 CREs, 93 were found to be also present in eight other genomes of P. parasitica, isolated from different hosts and continents. After transcriptomics and gene expression analysis, we have found five CREs to be up-regulated in in-vitro and in-planta samples. Subsequently, we selected three CREs for functional characterization in the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana. We show that PpRxLR2 is able to completely suppress INF-1-induced cell death, whereas PpRxLR3 and PpRxLR5 moderately suppressed N. benthamiana immunity in a less-extensive manner. Moreover, we confirmed the effector-triggered susceptibility activity of these proteins after transient transformation and infection of N. benthamiana plants. All three CREs enhanced virulence of P. parasitica during the interaction with N. benthamiana. These effectors, in particular PpRxLR2, can be targeted for the development of biotechnology-based control strategies of P. parasitica diseases.

The roles of mucus-forming mucins, peritrophins and peritrophins with mucin domains in the insect midgut.

Most insects have a gut lined with a peritrophic membrane (PM) consisting of chitin and proteins, mainly peritrophins that have chitin-binding domains. The PM is proposed to originate from mucus-forming mucins (Mf-mucins), which acquired a chitin-binding domain that interlocked with chitin, replacing mucus in function. We evaluated the expression of Mf-mucins and peritrophins by RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) throughout the midgut of four distantly related insects. Mf-mucins were identified as proteins with high o-glycosylation and a series of uninterrupted Pro/Thr/Ser residues. The results demonstrate that the mucus layer is widespread in insects, and suggest that insect Mf-mucins are derived from those found in other animals by the loss of the cysteine knot and von Willebrand domains. The data also support a role of Mf-mucins in protecting the middle midgut of Musca domestica against acidic buffers. Mf-mucins may also produce a jelly-like material associated with the PM that immobilizes digestive enzymes in Spodoptera frugiperda. Peritrophins with a domain similar to Mf-mucins may be close to the ancestor of peritrophins. Expression data of peritrophins and chitin synthase genes throughout the midgut of M. domestica, S. frugiperda and Tenebrio molitor indicated that peritrophins were incorporated along the PM, according to their preferential sites of formation. Finally, the data support the view that mucus has functions distinct from the PM.