Description of new species of Mycobacterium terrae complex isolated from sewage at the São Paulo zoological park foundation in Brazil.

Five mycobacterial isolates from sewage were classified as members of the genus Mycobacterium but presented inconclusive species assignments. Thus, the isolates (MYC017, MYC098, MYC101, MYC123 and MYC340) were analyzed by phenotypical, biochemical, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and genomic features to clarify their taxonomic position. Phenotypic analysis and biochemical tests did not distinguish these isolates from other non-pigmented mycobacteria. In contrast, MALDI-TOF MS analysis showed that isolates were not related to any previously described Mycobacterium species. Comparative genomic analysis showed values of ANI and dDDH between 81.59-85.56% and 24.4-28.8%, respectively, when compared to the genomes of species of this genus. In addition, two (MYC101 and MYC123) presented indistinguishable protein spectra from each other and values of ANI = 98.57% and dDDH = 97.3%, therefore being considered as belonging to the same species. Phylogenetic analysis grouped the five isolates within the Mycobacterium terrae complex (MTC) but in a specific subclade and separated from the species already described and supported by 100% bootstrap value, confirming that they are part of this complex but different from earlier described species. According to these data, we propose the description of four new species belonging to the Mycobacterium genus: (i) Mycobacterium defluvii sp. nov. strain MYC017T (= ATCC TSD-296T = JCM 35364T), (ii) Mycobacterium crassicus sp. nov. strain MYC098T (= ATCC TSD-297T = JCM 35365T), (iii) Mycobacterium zoologicum sp. nov. strain MYC101T (= ATCC TSD-298T = JCM 35366T) and MYC123 (= ATCC BAA-3216 = JCM 35367); and (iv) Mycobacterium nativiensis sp. nov. strain MYC340T (= ATCC TSD-299T = JCM 35368T).

Multi-Approach Characterization of Novel Pyrene-Degrading Mycolicibacterium austroafricanum Isolates Lacking nid Genes.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are chemical compounds that are widespread in the environment, arising from the incomplete combustion of organic material, as well as from human activities involving petrol exploitation, petrochemical industrial waste, gas stations, and environmental disasters. PAHs of high molecular weight, such as pyrene, have carcinogenic and mutagenic effects and are considered pollutants. The microbial degradation of PAHs occurs through the action of multiple dioxygenase genes (nid), which are localized in genomic island denominate region A, and cytochrome P450 monooxygenases genes (cyp) dispersed in the bacterial genome. This study evaluated pyrene degradation by five isolates of Mycolicibacterium austroafricanum using 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol (DCPIP assay), gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (CG/MS), and genomic analyses. Two isolates (MYC038 and MYC040) exhibited pyrene degradation indexes of 96% and 88%, respectively, over a seven-day incubation period. Interestingly, the genomic analyses showed that the isolates do not have nid genes, which are involved in PAH biodegradation, despite their ability to degrade pyrene, suggesting that degradation may occur due to the presence of cyp150 genes, or even genes that have not yet been described. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of isolates without nid genes demonstrating the ability to degrade pyrene.

Systematic review of the relationship between rumen acidosis and laminitis in cattle.

Laminitis is usually considered a consequence of digestive disorders that reduce ruminal pH. However, it is still not clear the direct relation between low ruminal pH provoked by excessive fast-digesting carbohydrate ingestion and laminitis, considering indicators, signs, and diagnosis aspects. This study aimed to clarify the association between different clinical presentations of laminitis with ruminal acidosis provoked by diet using the systematic review methodology. Three electronic databases were used: ISI Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus. A total of 339 manuscripts were identified and only 16 were included. Manuscripts were published between 2000 and 2021 in 11 different peer-reviewed journals. Fifteen studies confirmed the occurrence of ruminal acidosis. The main indicators used were ruminal pH and clinical signs, such as anorexia, depression, discomfort and diarrhea. Two of the studies that administered oligofructose to induce acidosis and acute laminitis did not observe clinical signs of laminitis, using lameness score or hooves' sensitivity as an indicator. Various diagnostic methods were used to describe laminitis, like thermography, hoof biopsy, sensitivity test, and visual inspection. Although the variety of laminitis indicators used in the included studies, we evidence the existence of an association between diet (high level of fast-digesting carbohydrates), ruminal acidosis, and acute laminitis, mostly in the short-term acidosis' induction protocols, but the mechanism of action is still not clear.

AMMI-Bayesian perspective in the selection of pre-cultivars of carioca beans in Agreste-Sertão of Pernambuco, Brazil.

The productivity of beans is greatly influenced by the different edaphoclimatic conditions in the Agreste-Sertão region, requiring the identification of adapted and stable genotypes to minimize the effects of the interaction between genotypes per environments (GxE). The objective of this work was to analyze the adaptability and stability of carioca bean pre-cultivars in three municipalities in the Agreste-Sertão of Pernambuco using the AMMI model in its Bayesian version BAMMI and compare the results with the frequentist approach. According to the results, the BAMMI analysis showed better predictive capacity, as well as better performance in the study of adaptability and stability. The cultivar BRS Notável stood out in terms of main effect and stability. Adaptability of genotypes to specific locations was also observed, enabling the use of the positive effect of the GxE interaction, which was more evident with the BAMMI model. From this work, the flexibility of BAMMI model to deal with data resulting from multi-environmental experiments can be seen, overcoming limitations of the standard analysis of the AMMI model.

Use of the reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm to select multiplicative terms in the AMMI-Bayesian model.

The model selection stage has become a central theme in applying the additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model to determine the optimal number of bilinear components to be retained to describe the genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI). In the Bayesian context, this problem has been addressed by using information criteria and the Bayes factor. However, these procedures are computationally intensive, making their application unfeasible when the model's parametric space is large. A Bayesian analysis of the AMMI model was conducted using the Reversible Jump algorithm (RJMCMC) to determine the number of multiplicative terms needed to explain the GEI pattern. Three a priori distributions were assigned for the singular value scale parameter under different justifications, namely: i) the insufficient reason principle (uniform); ii) the invariance principle (Jeffreys' prior) and iii) the maximum entropy principle. Simulated and real data were used to exemplify the method. An evaluation of the predictive ability of models for simulated data was conducted and indicated that the AMMI analysis, in general, was robust, and models adjusted by the Reversible Jump method were superior to those in which sampling was performed only by the Gibbs sampler. In addition, the RJMCMC showed greater feasibility since the selection and estimation of parameters are carried out concurrently in the same sampling algorithm, being more attractive in terms of computational time. The use of the maximum entropy principle makes the analysis more flexible, avoiding the use of procedures for correcting prior degrees of freedom and obtaining improper posterior marginal distributions.

An additive repression mechanism sets the anterior limits of anterior pair-rule stripes 1.

Segments are repeated anatomical units forming the body of insects. In Drosophila, the specification of the body takes place during the blastoderm through the segmentation cascade. Pair-rule genes such as hairy (h), even-skipped (eve), runt (run), and fushi-tarazu (ftz) are of the intermediate level of the cascade and each pair-rule gene is expressed in seven transversal stripes along the antero-posterior axis of the embryo. Stripes are formed by independent cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) under the regulation of transcription factors of maternal source and of gap proteins of the first level of the cascade. The initial blastoderm of Drosophila is a syncytium and it also coincides with the mid-blastula transition when thousands of zygotic genes are transcribed and their products are able to diffuse in the cytoplasm. Thus, we anticipated a complex regulation of the CRMs of the pair-rule stripes. The CRMs of h 1, eve 1, run 1, ftz 1 are able to be activated by bicoid (bcd) throughout the anterior blastoderm and several lines of evidence indicate that they are repressed by the anterior gap genes slp1 (sloppy-paired 1), tll (tailless) and hkb (huckebein). The modest activity of these repressors led to the premise of a combinatorial mechanism regulating the expression of the CRMs of h 1, eve 1, run 1, ftz 1 in more anterior regions of the embryo. We tested this possibility by progressively removing the repression activities of slp1, tll and hkb. In doing so, we were able to expose a mechanism of additive repression limiting the anterior borders of stripes 1. Stripes 1 respond depending on their distance from the anterior end and repressors operating at different levels.

Representações sociais: identificando fatores que influenciam as ações de médicos e enfermeiros da Atenção Primária à Saúde no rastreio do câncer de mama / Social representations: identifying factors that influence the actions of physicians and nurses on primary health care in breast cancer screening

O câncer é uma condição patológica e a neoplasia de mama é a mais comum. O objetivo do estudo é identificar as representações sociais que influenciam as ações de médicos e enfermeiros das Unidades Básicas de Saúde de Colatina/ES no rastreio do câncer de mama. Trata-se de um estudo observacional, descritivo e de abordagem qualitativa, realizado entre agosto a novembro de 2019, com médicos e enfermeiros das equipes básicas das Estratégias da Saúde da Família de Colatina, localizado na região noroeste do Espírito Santo. Os dados foram coletados através de um questionário semiestruturado para levantamento das evocações mediante a pergunta norteadora. A análise lexical foi realizada pelo software IRaMuTeQ versão 0.7 Alpha 2 (2014) e posteriormente a elaboração de word cloud e análise de similitude das representações sociais. As evocações dos enfermeiros apontaram o vínculo mais próximo com as mulheres nas atividades de rastreio, já as evocações dos médicos elucidaram que o seu papel está mais atrelado às ações de diagnóstico e pareceres especializados. Diante dos pressupostos, as representações sociais do rastreio do câncer de mama entre médicos e enfermeiros foi "mamografia", sendo que ambos os profissionais assumem papéis importantes nas ações de detecção da neoplasia de mama.

Cancer is a pathological condition and breast cancer is the most common. The objective of the study is to identify the social representations that influence the actions of physicians and nurses from the Basic Health Units units in the city of Colatina/ES in breast cancer screening. This is an observational, descriptive and qualitative approach, conducted between August and November 2019 among physicians and nurses from the basic teams of the Family Health Strategies in Colatina, located in the northwest region of Espírito Santo. Data were collected through a semi- structured questionnaire to survey evocations through the guiding question. The lexical analysis was performed using the IRaMuTeQ software version 0.7 Alpha 2 (2014) and later the development of a word cloud and similarity analysis of social representations. Nurses' evocations pointed to the closest link with women in screening activities, while physicians' evocations elucidated that their role is more linked to diagnostic actions and specialized opinions. Given these assumptions, the social representations of breast cancer screening among physicians and nurses was "mammography", with both professionals playing important roles in breast cancer detection actions.

Shrinkage in the Bayesian analysis of the GGE model: A case study with simulation.

The genotype main effects plus the genotype × environment interaction effects model has been widely used to analyze multi-environmental trials data, especially using a graphical biplot considering the first two principal components of the singular value decomposition of the interaction matrix. Many authors have noted the advantages of applying Bayesian inference in these classes of models to replace the frequentist approach. This results in parsimonious models, and eliminates parameters that would be present in a traditional analysis of bilinear components (frequentist form). This work aims to extend shrinkage methods to estimators of those parameters that composes the multiplicative part of the model, using the maximum entropy principle for prior justification. A Bayesian version (non-shrinkage prior, using conjugacy and large variance) was also used for comparison. The simulated data set had 20 genotypes evaluated across seven environments, in a complete randomized block design with three replications. Cross-validation procedures were conducted to assess the predictive ability of the model and information criteria were used for model selection. A better predictive capacity was found for the model with a shrinkage effect, especially for unorthogonal scenarios in which more genotypes were removed at random. In these cases, however, the best fitted models, as measured by information criteria, were the conjugate flat prior. In addition, the flexibility of the Bayesian method was found, in general, to attribute inference to the parameters of the models which related to the biplot representation. Maximum entropy prior was the more parsimonious, and estimates singular values with a greater contribution to the sum of squares of the genotype + genotype × environmental interaction. Hence, this method enabled the best discrimination of parameters responsible for the existing patterns and the best discarding of the noise than the model assuming non-informative priors for multiplicative parameters.

Pré-natal na atenção primária, adequação das consultas e avaliação da assistência às gestantes: revisão integrativa / Prenatal care in primary care, fitness for consultations and assessment of assistance to pregnant women: integrative review / Atención prenatal en atención primaria, adecuación de las consultas y evaluación de la asistencia a la gestante: una revisión integradora

Objetivo: avaliar a assistência às gestantes na atenção primária à saúde e a adequação das consultas de pré-natal. Método: trata-se de uma revisão integrativa de literatura, descritiva de abordagem qualitativa, realizada no ano de 2019. Utilizou-se artigos da Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS), através dos seguintes descritores padronizados no DeCS: qualidade da assistência à saúde, cuidado pré-natal e saúde da mulher, resultando em 107 artigos. Após filtragem com os critérios de inclusão/exclusão, seguida de uma leitura criteriosa em resposta ao problema de pesquisa, totalizou numa amostra de 14 artigos. Resultados: destes, onze artigos tiveram em suas conclusões a necessidade de mudanças no acompanhamento pré-natal. Conclusão: a pesquisa possibilitou a visualização das dificuldades relacionadas à gestão, a união da equipe multiprofissional, da capacitação e aperfeiçoamento dos profissionais de saúde, da melhoria das consultas de pré-natal e também da diferença na qualidade da assistência prestada às mulheres negras e indígenas.(AU)

Objective: to evaluate the assistance to pregnant women in primary health care and the adequacy of prenatal consultations. Method: this is an integrative literature review, descriptive of a qualitative approach, carried out in 2019. Articles from the Virtual Health Library (VHL) were used, using the following standardized descriptors in DeCS: quality of health care, prenatal care and women's health, resulting in 107 articles. After filtering with the inclusion / exclusion criteria, followed by a careful reading in response to the research problem, it totaled a sample of 14 articles. Results: of these, eleven articles had in their conclusions the need for changes in prenatal care. Conclusion: the research made it possible to visualize the difficulties related to management, the unification of the multidisciplinary team, the training and improvement of health professionals, the improvement of prenatal consultations and also the difference in the quality of care provided to black and indigenous women.(AU)

Objetivo: evaluar la atención a la gestante en la atención primaria de salud y la adecuación de las consultas prenatales. Método: se trata de una revisión de literatura integradora, descriptiva de abordaje cualitativo, realizada en 2019. Se utilizaron artículos de la Biblioteca Virtual en Salud (BVS), utilizando los siguientes descriptores estandarizados en DeCS: calidad de la atención en salud, atención prenatal y salud de la mujer, resultando en 107 artículos. Luego de filtrar con los criterios de inclusión / exclusión, seguido de una lectura atenta en respuesta al problema de investigación, totalizó una muestra de 14 artículos. Resultados: de estos, once artículos tenían en sus conclusiones la necesidad de cambios en la atención prenatal. Conclusión: la investigación permitió visualizar las dificultades relacionadas con la gestión, la unificación del equipo multidisciplinario, la formación y perfeccionamiento de los profesionales de la salud, el mejoramiento de las consultas prenatales y también la diferencia en la calidad de la atención brindada a mujeres negras e indígenas.(AU)

Biochemical Profile of the Soybean Seed Embryonic Axis and Its Changes during Accelerated Aging.

Seed deterioration is an important topic in plant science, as the majority of cultivated species use seeds as their means of propagation; however, due to its complexity, the process of seed deterioration has not yet been completely elucidated. Three soybean cultivars (BMX Raio, BMX Zeus, and DM 53i54) exposed to four distinct periods of accelerated aging (0, 3, 6 and 9 days) in a fully randomized experimental design. Initially, vigor and germination tests were performed. The activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase enzymes, hydrogen peroxide, malonaldehyde, DNA oxidation, macromolecules and mineral content, and Maillard reactions were quantified in the embryonic axis. Results showed that DNA did not suffer degradation or oxidation. In terms of consumption of reserves, only sugars were consumed, while levels of protein, starch, and triglycerides were maintained. The Maillard reaction did show potential as an indicator of buffer capacity of protein to ROS. Additionally, levels of catalase and ascorbate peroxidase decreased during the aging process. Moreover, nutrient analysis showed that a high magnesium level in the cultivar bestowed greater resilience to deterioration, which can indicate a potential function of magnesium in the cell structure via reflex in seed aging through seed respiration.

Expression of human HSP27 in yeast extends replicative lifespan and uncovers a hormetic response.

Human HSP27 is a small heat shock protein that modulates the ability of cells to respond to heat shock and oxidative stress, and also functions as a chaperone independent of ATP, participating in the proteasomal degradation of proteins. The expression of HSP27 is associated with survival in mammalian cells. In cancer cells, it confers resistance to chemotherapy; in neurons, HSP27 has a positive effect on neuronal viability in models of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. To better understand the mechanism by which HSP27 expression contributes to cell survival, we expressed human HSP27 in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae under control of different mutant TEF promoters, that conferred nine levels of graded basal expression, and showed that replicative lifespan and proteasomal activity increase as well as the resistance to oxidative and thermal stresses. The profile of these phenotypes display a dose-response effect characteristic of hormesis, an adaptive phenomenon that is observed when cells are exposed to increasing amounts of stress or toxic substances. The hormetic response correlates with changes in expression levels of HSP27 and also with its oligomeric states when correlated to survival assays. Our results indicate that fine tuning of HSP27 concentration could be used as a strategy for cancer therapy, and also for improving neuronal survival in neurodegenerative diseases.

Gene Tags Assessment by Comparative Genomics (GTACG): A User-Friendly Framework for Bacterial Comparative Genomics.

Genomics research has produced an exponential amount of data. However, the genetic knowledge pertaining to certain phenotypic characteristics is lacking. Also, a considerable part of these genomes have coding sequences (CDSs) with unknown functions, posing additional challenges to researchers. Phylogenetically close microorganisms share much of their CDSs, and certain phenotypes unique to a set of microorganisms may be the result of the genes found exclusively in those microorganisms. This study presents the GTACG framework, an easy-to-use tool for identifying in the subgroups of bacterial genomes whose microorganisms have common phenotypic characteristics, to find data that differentiates them from other associated genomes in a simple and fast way. The GTACG analysis is based on the formation of homologous CDS clusters from local alignments. The front-end is easy to use, and the installation packages have been developed to enable users lacking knowledge of programming languages or bioinformatics analyze high-throughput data using the tool. The validation of the GTACG framework has been carried out based on a case report involving a set of 161 genomes from the Xanthomonadaceae family, in which 19 families of orthologous proteins were found in 90% of the plant-associated genomes, allowing the identification of the proteins potentially associated with adaptation and virulence in plant tissue. The results show the potential use of GTACG in the search for new targets for molecular studies, and GTACG can be used as a research tool by biologists who lack advanced knowledge in the use of computational tools for bacterial comparative genomics.

Bayesian factor analytic model: An approach in multiple environment trials.

One of the main challenges in plant breeding programs is the efficient quantification of the genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI). The presence of significant GEI may create difficulties for breeders in the selection and recommendation of superior genotypes for a wide environmental network. Among the diverse statistical procedures developed for this purpose, we highlight those based on mixed models and factor analysis that are called factor analytic (FA) models. However, some inferential issues are related to the factor analytic model, such as Heywood cases that make the model non-identifiable. Moreover, the representation of the loads and factors in the conventional biplot does not involve any measurement of uncertainty. In this work, we propose dealing with the FA model using the Bayesian framework with direct sampling of factor loadings via spectral decomposition; this guarantees identifiability in the estimation process and eliminates the need for the rotationality of factor loadings or imposition of any ad hoc constraints. We used simulated and real data to illustrate the method's application in multi-environment trials (MET) and to compare it with traditional FA mixed models on controlled unbalancing. In general, the Bayesian FA model was robust under different simulated unbalanced levels, presenting the superior predictive ability of missing data when compared to competing models, such as those based on FA mixed models. In addition, for some scenarios, the classical FA mixed model failed in estimating the full FA model, illustrating the parametric problems of convergence in these models. Our results suggest that Bayesian factorial models might be successfully used in plant breeding for MET analysis.

Qualidade físico-química e microbiológica do leite bovino em diferentes sistemas de produção e estações do ano / Physical-chemical and microbiological quality of bovine milk in different production systems and seasons

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a interação entre sistemas produtivos e estações do ano sobre a qualidade do leite bovino. Três propriedades foram avaliadas mensalmente, durante as estações, em quatro graus de especialização dos sistemas de produção: altamente especializado, especializado, semiespecializado e não especializado. Em termos de qualidade do leite, consideraram-se os teores de gordura, proteína, sólidos totais, contagem de células somáticas, contagem bacteriana total, acidez titulável em graus Dornic, densidade, índice crioscópico, estabilidade ao alizarol, potencial de hidrogênio (pH) e teste de redução do azul de metileno. Além destes, devido à sua importância para o rendimento industrial dos produtos lácteos de base proteica, foi realizado o fracionamento da proteína total do leite em equivalente proteico do nitrogênio não proteico, da proteína verdadeira e da caseína. A acidez Dornic foi maior na primavera e no inverno, enquanto os valores mais elevados de contagem de células somáticas foram no verão. Os teores de proteína total e proteína verdadeira foram menores durante o verão e elevaram-se os sólidos totais no outono. Com a diminuição dos níveis de especialização das propriedades rurais, observaram-se aumento na contagem bacteriana total e diminuição do nitrogênio não proteico. A densidade apresentou comportamento inverso ao da gordura, enquanto o potencial de hidrogênio (pH) se expressou de modo antagônico à acidez titulável. Na análise multivariada dos dados, foi possível identificar as combinações entre estratos produtivos e estações do ano que apresentavam a melhor qualidade da proteína do leite. Nesse sentido, todos os arranjos de sistemas de produção com o outono, o sistema altamente especializado no inverno, o semiespecializado no verão e o especializado na primavera tiveram qualidade proteica positiva, destacando-se pelas menores...(AU)

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the interaction between production systems and seasons on physical-chemical and microbiological qualities of bovine milk. Three farms were assessed monthly, along the seasons, for four specialization levels of the production systems: highly specialized, specialized, partially specialized, and non-specialized. In terms of milk quality, the levels of fat, protein, total solids, somatic cell count, total bacterial count, titratable acidity in degrees Dornic, density, cryoscopic index, alizarol stability, potential of hydrogen (pH) and methylene blue reduction test. In addition, due to their importance for the industrial yield of protein-based dairy products, total milk protein fractionation was performed in protein equivalent of non-protein nitrogen, true protein and casein.The milk Dornic acidity was higher in spring and winter, while the highest somatic cell count values were in the summer. Total and true protein levels were lower during the summer and total solids increased in the autumn. With the decrease in the levels of specialization of farms, there was an increase in total bacterial count and decrease in non-protein nitrogen. The density presented an inverse behavior to that of the fat while the hydrogen potential (pH) was expressed in a way antagonistic to the acidity. In the multivariate analysis of the data it was possible to identify the combinations between production strata and stations that presented the best milk protein quality. In this sense, all the arrangements of production systems with autumn, winter highly specialized, summer partially specialized, spring specialized had positive protein quality, being highlighted by the smaller of somatic cells counts in the spring partially specialized combination.(AU)

Qualidade físico-química e microbiológica do leite bovino em diferentes sistemas de produção e estações do ano / Physical-chemical and microbiological quality of bovine milk in different production systems and seasons

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a interação entre sistemas produtivos e estações do ano sobre a qualidade do leite bovino. Três propriedades foram avaliadas mensalmente, durante as estações, em quatro graus de especialização dos sistemas de produção: altamente especializado, especializado, semiespecializado e não especializado. Em termos de qualidade do leite, consideraram-se os teores de gordura, proteína, sólidos totais, contagem de células somáticas, contagem bacteriana total, acidez titulável em graus Dornic, densidade, índice crioscópico, estabilidade ao alizarol, potencial de hidrogênio (pH) e teste de redução do azul de metileno. Além destes, devido à sua importância para o rendimento industrial dos produtos lácteos de base proteica, foi realizado o fracionamento da proteína total do leite em equivalente proteico do nitrogênio não proteico, da proteína verdadeira e da caseína. A acidez Dornic foi maior na primavera e no inverno, enquanto os valores mais elevados de contagem de células somáticas foram no verão. Os teores de proteína total e proteína verdadeira foram menores durante o verão e elevaram-se os sólidos totais no outono. Com a diminuição dos níveis de especialização das propriedades rurais, observaram-se aumento na contagem bacteriana total e diminuição do nitrogênio não proteico. A densidade apresentou comportamento inverso ao da gordura, enquanto o potencial de hidrogênio (pH) se expressou de modo antagônico à acidez titulável. Na análise multivariada dos dados, foi possível identificar as combinações entre estratos produtivos e estações do ano que apresentavam a melhor qualidade da proteína do leite. Nesse sentido, todos os arranjos de sistemas de produção com o outono, o sistema altamente especializado no inverno, o semiespecializado no verão e o especializado na primavera tiveram qualidade proteica positiva, destacando-se pelas menores...

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the interaction between production systems and seasons on physical-chemical and microbiological qualities of bovine milk. Three farms were assessed monthly, along the seasons, for four specialization levels of the production systems: highly specialized, specialized, partially specialized, and non-specialized. In terms of milk quality, the levels of fat, protein, total solids, somatic cell count, total bacterial count, titratable acidity in degrees Dornic, density, cryoscopic index, alizarol stability, potential of hydrogen (pH) and methylene blue reduction test. In addition, due to their importance for the industrial yield of protein-based dairy products, total milk protein fractionation was performed in protein equivalent of non-protein nitrogen, true protein and casein.The milk Dornic acidity was higher in spring and winter, while the highest somatic cell count values were in the summer. Total and true protein levels were lower during the summer and total solids increased in the autumn. With the decrease in the levels of specialization of farms, there was an increase in total bacterial count and decrease in non-protein nitrogen. The density presented an inverse behavior to that of the fat while the hydrogen potential (pH) was expressed in a way antagonistic to the acidity. In the multivariate analysis of the data it was possible to identify the combinations between production strata and stations that presented the best milk protein quality. In this sense, all the arrangements of production systems with autumn, winter highly specialized, summer partially specialized, spring specialized had positive protein quality, being highlighted by the smaller of somatic cells counts in the spring partially specialized combination.

An Inhalable Powder Formulation Based on Micro- and Nanoparticles Containing 5-Fluorouracil for the Treatment of Metastatic Melanoma.

Melanoma is the most aggressive and lethal type of skin cancer, with a poor prognosis because of the potential for metastatic spread. The aim was to develop innovative powder formulations for the treatment of metastatic melanoma based on micro- and nanocarriers containing 5-fluorouracil (5FU) for pulmonary administration, aiming at local and systemic action. Therefore, two innovative inhalable powder formulations were produced by spray-drying using chondroitin sulfate as a structuring polymer: (a) 5FU nanoparticles obtained by piezoelectric atomization (5FU-NS) and (b) 5FU microparticles of the mucoadhesive agent Methocel™ F4M for sustained release produced by conventional spray drying (5FU-MS). The physicochemical and aerodynamic were evaluated in vitro for both systems, proving to be attractive for pulmonary delivery. The theoretical aerodynamic diameters obtained were 0.322 ± 0.07 µm (5FU-NS) and 1.138 ± 0.54 µm (5FU-MS). The fraction of respirable particles (FR%) were 76.84 ± 0.07% (5FU-NS) and 55.01 ± 2.91% (5FU-MS). The in vitro mucoadhesive properties exhibited significant adhesion efficiency in the presence of Methocel™ F4M. 5FU-MS and 5FU-NS were tested for their cytotoxic action on melanoma cancer cells (A2058 and A375) and both showed a cytotoxic effect similar to 5FU pure at concentrations of 4.3 and 1.7-fold lower, respectively.

Identification and analysis of seven effector protein families with different adaptive and evolutionary histories in plant-associated members of the Xanthomonadaceae.

The Xanthomonadaceae family consists of species of non-pathogenic and pathogenic γ-proteobacteria that infect different hosts, including humans and plants. In this study, we performed a comparative analysis using 69 fully sequenced genomes belonging to this family, with a focus on identifying proteins enriched in phytopathogens that could explain the lifestyle and the ability to infect plants. Using a computational approach, we identified seven phytopathogen-enriched protein families putatively secreted by type II secretory system: PheA (CM-sec), LipA/LesA, VirK, and four families involved in N-glycan degradation, NixE, NixF, NixL, and FucA1. In silico and phylogenetic analyses of these protein families revealed they all have orthologs in other phytopathogenic or symbiotic bacteria, and are involved in the modulation and evasion of the immune system. As a proof of concept, we performed a biochemical characterization of LipA from Xac306 and verified that the mutant strain lost most of its lipase and esterase activities and displayed reduced virulence in citrus. Since this study includes closely related organisms with distinct lifestyles and highlights proteins directly related to adaptation inside plant tissues, novel approaches might use these proteins as biotechnological targets for disease control, and contribute to our understanding of the coevolution of plant-associated bacteria.

Characterization of Mycobacterium chelonae-Like Strains by Comparative Genomics

Isolates of the Mycobacterium chelonae-M. abscessus complex are subdivided into four clusters (CHI to CHIV) in the INNO-LiPA® Mycobacterium spp DNA strip assay. A considerable phenotypic variability was observed among isolates of the CHII cluster. In this study, we examined the diversity of 26 CHII cluster isolates by phenotypic analysis, drug susceptibility testing, whole genome sequencing and single-gene analysis. Pairwise genome comparisons were performed using several approaches, including average nucleotide identity (ANI) and genome-to-genome distance (GGD) among others. Based on ANI and GGD the isolates were identified as M. chelonae (14 isolates), M. franklinii (2 isolates) and M. salmoniphium (1 isolate). The remaining 9 isolates were subdivided into three novel putative genomospecies. Phenotypic analyses including drug susceptibility testing, as well as whole genome comparison by TETRA and delta differences, were not helpful in separating the groups revealed by ANI and GGD. The analysis of standard four conserved genomic regions showed that rpoB alone and the concatenated sequences clearly distinguished the taxonomic groups delimited by whole genome analyses. In conclusion, the CHII INNO-LiPa is not a homogeneous cluster; on the contrary, it is composed of closely related different species belonging to the M. chelonae-M. abscessus complex and also several unidentified isolates. The detection of these isolates, putatively novel species, indicates a wider inner variability than the presently known in this complex. (AU)

Microbial community structure and dynamics in thermophilic composting viewed through metagenomics and metatranscriptomics.

Composting is a promising source of new organisms and thermostable enzymes that may be helpful in environmental management and industrial processes. Here we present results of metagenomic- and metatranscriptomic-based analyses of a large composting operation in the São Paulo Zoo Park. This composting exhibits a sustained thermophilic profile (50 °C to 75 °C), which seems to preclude fungal activity. The main novelty of our study is the combination of time-series sampling with shotgun DNA, 16S rRNA gene amplicon, and metatranscriptome high-throughput sequencing, enabling an unprecedented detailed view of microbial community structure, dynamics, and function in this ecosystem. The time-series data showed that the turning procedure has a strong impact on the compost microbiota, restoring to a certain extent the population profile seen at the beginning of the process; and that lignocellulosic biomass deconstruction occurs synergistically and sequentially, with hemicellulose being degraded preferentially to cellulose and lignin. Moreover, our sequencing data allowed near-complete genome reconstruction of five bacterial species previously found in biomass-degrading environments and of a novel biodegrading bacterial species, likely a new genus in the order Bacillales. The data and analyses provided are a rich source for additional investigations of thermophilic composting microbiology.

Retrospective comparative analysis of surgical treatment of thoracolumbar burst fracture: short versus long fixation / Análise retrospectiva comparativa do tratamento cirúrgico da fratura toracolombar do tipo explosão: fixação curta versus longa / Análisis retrospectivo comparativo del tratamiento quirúrgico de fractura toracolumbar por explosión: fijación corta versus larga

ABSTRACT Objective: The objective of this study is to compare short posterior fixation to long posterior fixation in thoracolumbar burst fractures. Methods: Fifty-three patients were divided into Group I (n=24) treated with short instrumentation (one level above and one below the fracture) and into Group II (n=29) treated with long instrumentation (two or more levels above and below the fracture). The load sharing classification was used to stratify cases. The evaluation of the sagittal index was performed using the Cobb method. Results: In subgroups with load sharing classification ≤ 6, Group I had loss of correction of 4.2 degrees and a procedure failure in 14.3% of cases, Group II showed loss of correction of 5.4 degrees and failure in 21.7% of cases. In subgroups with load sharing classification ≥7, Group I had a loss of correction of 11.2 degrees and procedure failure in 70% of cases, and Group II showed a loss of correction of 9 degrees and failure of 46.7%. Group I had a tendency to worse outcomes, especially in the subgroup of patients with load sharing classification ≥7. Conclusion: Despite the tendency for poorer results in the short fixation group in the cases with load sharing ≥7, in no sample was there statistically significant difference between the groups studied.

RESUMO Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo é comparar fixação posterior curta e longa em fraturas toracolombares do tipo explosão. Métodos: Cinquenta e três pacientes foram divididos em Grupo I (n = 24), tratados com instrumentação curta (um nível acima e um abaixo da fratura) e Grupo II (n = 29), tratados com instrumentação longa (dois ou mais níveis acima e abaixo da fratura). A classificação Load Sharing foi utilizada para estratificar os casos. A avaliação do índice sagital foi realizada pelo método de Cobb. Resultados: Nos subgrupos com classificação Load Sharing ≤ 6, o Grupo I teve perda da correção de 4,2 graus e uma falha do procedimento em 14,3% dos casos, o Grupo II apresentou perda da correção de 5,4 graus e falha de procedimento em 21,7% dos casos. Nos subgrupos com classificação Load Sharing ≥ 7, o Grupo I teve perda da correção de 11,2 graus e falha do procedimento em 70% dos casos, o Grupo II apresentou perda da correção de 9 graus e falha de 46,7%. O Grupo I apresentou tendência a piores resultados, principalmente no subgrupo dos pacientes que apresentavam classificação Load Sharing ≥ 7. Conclusão: Apesar da tendência de piores resultados no grupo de fixação curta nos casos com Load Sharing ≥7, em nenhuma avaliação desta amostra houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os grupos estudados.

RESUMEN Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio es comparar la fijación posterior corta y larga en fracturas toracolumbares del tipo explosión. Métodos: Cincuenta y tres pacientes se dividieron en el Grupo I (n = 24) tratados con instrumentación corta (un nivel por encima y por debajo de la fractura) y el Grupo II (n = 29) tratados con instrumentación larga (dos o más niveles por encima y por debajo de la fractura). La clasificación Load Sharing se utilizó para estratificar los casos. La evaluación del índice sagital se realizó mediante el método de Cobb. Resultados: En los subgrupos de la clasificación Load Sharing ≤ 6, el Grupo I tuvo pérdida de corrección de 4,2 grados y un fracaso del procedimiento en el 14,3% de los casos, el Grupo II mostró pérdida de corrección de 5,4 grados y falla de procedimiento de 21,7% de los casos. En los subgrupos de clasificación Load Sharing ≥ 7, el Grupo I tenía pérdida de corrección de 11,2 grados y falla del procedimiento en el 70% de los casos, el Grupo II presentó pérdida de corrección de 9 grados y falla del 46,7%. El Grupo I presentó tendencia a peores resultados, especialmente en el subgrupo de pacientes con clasificación Load Sharing ≥ 7. Conclusiones: Apesar de la tendencia de peores resultados en el grupo de fijación corta en los casos con Load Sharing > 7, en ninguna evaluación de esta muestra hubo diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre los grupos estudiados