Fermented foods: a perspective on their role in delivering biotics.

Fermented foods are often erroneously equated with probiotics. Although they might act as delivery vehicles for probiotics, or other 'biotic' substances, including prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics, stringent criteria must be met for a fermented food to be considered a 'biotic'. Those criteria include documented health benefit, sufficient product characterization (for probiotics to the strain level) and testing. Similar to other functional ingredients, the health benefits must go beyond that of the product's nutritional components and food matrix. Therefore, the 'fermented food' and 'probiotic' terms may not be used interchangeably. This concept would apply to the other biotics as well. In this context, the capacity of fermented foods to deliver one, several, or all biotics defined so far will depend on the microbiological and chemical level of characterization, the reproducibility of the technological process used to produce the fermented foods, the evidence for health benefits conferred by the biotics, as well as the type and amount of testing carried out to show the probiotic, prebiotic, synbiotic, and postbiotic capacity of that fermented food.

Total Shoulder Reverse Arthroplasty in Alkaptonuria: An Effective Option to Treat a Complication of a Rare Disease.

Introduction: Alkaptonuria (AKU) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder in which tyrosine metabolism is altered. There is a deficiency of the Homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase enzyme (homogentisic acid oxidase) This enzyme is responsible for the metabolism of the tyrosine - homogentisic acid - in maleylacetoacetic acid. Accumulation of homogenous acid occurs in urine and conjunctival tissue in the second with important deleterious effects on cartilage and bone. The most limiting complication is progressive degenerative arthropathy, especially in the axial and load load-bearing joints, with a lower tendency to affect the shoulder. Because of its rarity little is known about the results of arthroplasties in these patients. Case Report: A 60 -years -old man, retired, with a history of right knee arthroplasty 6 years ago (performed in another hospital). Sent to the orthopedic consultation due to intense shoulder pain. The case was revealed to be a rare disease: arthropathy due AKU. He was treated with total shoulder reverse arthroplasty. Currently with two 2 years of follow-up, with excellent functional results. Conclusion: The most commonly performed procedure, in this patients, is the hip prosthesis and there are few reported cases of shoulder arthroplasty. However, the results of our follow follow-up are good and encouraging.

Distinct Profiles of Relationships With Mothers, Fathers, and Best Friends and Social-Behavioral Functioning in Early Adolescence: A Cross-Cultural Study.

Adolescents' dyadic relationships are likely influenced by the cultural context within which they exist. This study applied a person-oriented approach to examine how perceived support and negativity were manifested across youths' relationships with mothers, fathers, and best friends, simultaneously, and how distinct relationship profiles were linked to adaptive and maladaptive functioning (aggression, anxious-withdrawal, prosociality) within and across cultures. Participants resided in metropolitan areas of South Korea, the United States, and Portugal (10-14 years; N = 1,233). Latent profile analyses identified relationship profiles that were culturally common or specific. Additional findings highlighted commonality in the relations between a high-quality relationship profile and adaptive functioning, as well as cultural specificity in the buffering and differential effects of distinct relationship profiles on social-behavioral outcomes.

Loneliness and Social Functioning in Adolescent Peer Victimization.

Interpersonal adversity such as peer victimization has been shown to have complex associations with other socio-emotional difficulties, particularly during adolescence. We used a multidimensional peer nomination measure on a sample of 440 (52% girls) 11- to 17-year-old (M = 13.14 years, SD = 1.26) Portuguese youths to identify three groups, classified by peers as (1) victimized adolescents who showed anxious withdrawn behaviors in the context of the peer group (n = 111), (2) victimized adolescents who did not exhibit anxious withdrawn behaviors (n = 104), and (3) non-victimized adolescents (n = 225). We compared these groups on their peer-reported social functioning and on their self-reported feelings of social and emotional loneliness (with peers and family). Anxiously withdrawn victims were viewed by peers as more excluded, less aggressive, less prosocial, and less popular than non-withdrawn victims and non-victims. Non-anxiously withdrawn victims were considered more excluded than non-victims, and more aggressive than both anxiously withdrawn victims and non-victims. Finally, anxiously withdrawn victims reported feeling less integrated and intimate with their peers than non-withdrawn victims and non-victims, which is indicative of greater feelings of social and emotional loneliness at school. Youths in the current study did not report feeling lonely in their family environment. Our findings thus provide further evidence that victimized youths constitute a heterogeneous group, which differ in the way they behave toward their peers and experience loneliness.

USA and Portuguese Young Adolescents' Perceived Qualities and Satisfaction in Their Relationships with Mothers, Fathers and Best-Friends.

BACKGROUND: Few researchers have examined young adolescents' perceived qualities and satisfaction in their relationships with their mothers, fathers and best friends simultaneously, using a cross-cultural perspective. This study aimed to compare the perceived qualities and satisfaction of USA and Portuguese adolescents in their relationships with their parents and best friends and to examine the influence of perceived relationship qualities on the satisfaction of young adolescents with their close relationships. METHODS: The sample consisted of 347 USA adolescents (170 boys, 177 girls) and 360 Portuguese adolescents (176 boys, 184 girls) who completed the Network of Relationships Inventory Social Provision Version to assess perceived support, negativity, power balance and satisfaction in their relationships with their mothers, fathers and same-sex best friends. RESULTS: Adolescents from both countries perceived their relationships with parents to be more negative and imbalanced in power than their relationships with friends, but the magnitude of differences was greater in the USA. Furthermore, USA adolescents reported higher satisfaction in their relationships with friends than in their relationships with parents. Country differences in the concomitants of relationship satisfaction were found. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the notion that young adolescents' perceived qualities and satisfaction in close relationships may differ depending on cultural norms.

Perceptions of Portuguese parents about the acceptability of a multicomponent intervention targeted at behavioral inhibition during early childhood.

High and stable behavioral inhibition during early childhood is a risk factor for later anxiety disorders. The few available interventions targeted at behavioral inhibition have not yet been implemented in European countries. Evaluating intervention acceptability is essential when introducing interventions in new cultures. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of parents about the acceptability of the multicomponent Turtle Program in Portugal. Participants were 12 parents (from seven families) of children with a positive screening on the Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire and no diagnoses of developmental disorders/selective mutism. Children's mean age was 55.86 months and most children were female and first-born. Parents and children participated in the eight-sessions Turtle Program. After each session, parents completed weekly satisfaction checklists. Following completion of the full intervention, parents were invited to participate in individual qualitative in-depth interviews. The thematic analysis revealed that both parents perceived the intervention objectives and contents as relevant. Both parents suggested the introduction of follow-up sessions, the discussion of practical experiences, the need to be sensitive to cultural differences in positive language, and the provision of more feedback about children's activities. These findings support prior research on the acceptability and cultural tailoring needed for parenting and child socioemotional learning interventions.

Una alta y estable conducta de inhibición durante la temprana niñez es un factor de riesgo para posteriores trastornos de ansiedad. Las pocas intervenciones disponibles que se enfocan en la inhibición de la conducta no se han implementado aún en países europeos. Evaluar el nivel de aceptación de la intervención es esencial cuando las intervenciones se introducen en nuevas culturas. Este estudio se propuso explorar las percepciones de los progenitores acerca del nivel de aceptación del multi-compuesto Programa Tortuga en Portugal. Los participantes fueron 12 progenitores (de siete familias) de niños con una positiva detección en el Cuestionario de Inhibición de la Conducta y sin diagnóstico de trastornos de desarrollo/mutismo selectivo. La edad promedio de los niños fue 55.86 meses y la mayoría eran niñas y primogénitas. Los progenitores y los niños participaron en las ocho sesiones del Programa Tortuga. Después de cada sesión, los progenitores completaron listas semanales de chequeo de la satisfacción. Luego de completar la intervención en su totalidad, se invitó a los progenitores a participar en entrevistas cualitativas individuales para profundizar. Los análisis temáticos revelaron que ambos progenitores percibieron como relevantes los objetivos y el contenido de la intervención. Ambos progenitores sugirieron introducir sesiones de seguimiento, la discusión de experiencias prácticas, la necesidad de mostrarse sensible a las diferencias culturales en lenguaje positivo y la provisión de más información sobre las actividades de los niños. Estos resultados apoyan la investigación anterior sobre el nivel de aceptación y la adaptación cultural necesarias en las intervenciones sobre la crianza y el aprendizaje socioemocional del niño.

L'inhibition comportementale élevée et stable durant la petite enfance est un facteur de risque pour des troubles de l'anxiété plus tard. Quelques interventions disponibles ciblant l'inhibition comportementale n'ont pas encore été mises en œuvre dans les pays européens. Evaluer l'acceptabilité de l'intervention est essentiel lorsqu'on introduit des interventions dans de nouvelles cultures. Cette étude s'est donnée pour but d'explorer les perceptions des parents à propos de l'acceptabilité du Programme Tortue à composants multiples au Portugal. Les participants ont consisté en 12 parents (de sept familles) d'enfants ayant eu un dépistage positif au Questionnaire d'Inhibition Comportementale et aucun diagnostic de troubles développementaux / mutisme sélectif. L'âge moyen des enfants était de 55,86 mois et la plupart des enfants étaient des filles et des premières nées. Les parents et les enfants ont participé au Programme Tortue de huit séances. Après chaque séance les parents ont rempli des checklists de satisfaction hebdomadaires. Après avoir terminé l'intervention totale les parents ont été invité à participer à des entretiens individuels en profondeur et qualitatifs. L'analyse thématique a révélé que les deux parents percevaient les objectifs d'intervention et les contenus comme étant pertinents. Les deux parents ont suggéré l'introduction de séances de suivi, la discussion d'expériences pratiques, le besoin d'être sensible aux différences culturelles dans le langage positif et le besoin de plus de commentaires sur les activités des enfants. Ces résultats soutiennent les recherches précédentes sur l'acceptabilité et l'adaptation culturelle nécessaire pour le parentage et les interventions pour le développement socioémotionnel de l'enfant.

Minimal Products of Coordinate and Momentum Uncertainties of High Orders: Significant and Weak High-Order Squeezing.

We consider the problem of minimization of products of mean values of the high powers of operators x and p. From this point of view, we study several two-term superpositions of the Fock states, as well as three popular families of infinite superpositions: squeezed states, even/odd coherent states, and orthogonal even coherent states (or compass states). The new element is the analysis of products of the corresponding (co)variances and the related generalized (Robertson-Schrödinger) intelligent states (RSIS). In particular, we show that both Fock and pure Gaussian homogeneous states are RSIS for the fourth powers (but not for the sixth ones). We show that lower bounds of the high-order uncertainty products can be significantly below the vacuum values. In this connection, the concept of significant and weak high-order squeezing is introduced.

Herpes Zoster-Mediated Radiculitis After Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Report on 2 Cases with Differing Outcomes.

CASES: Two cases of herpetic neuralgia after lumbar fusion are reported. Although in one case the diagnosis was evident and treatment promptly initiated, the second exhibited a less typical presentation of neuralgia predating the cutaneous rash leading to a misdiagnosis of persistent nerve root stenosis, with additional surgeries and a longer hospital stay. CONCLUSION: The cases presented highlight why postoperative neuralgia should be approached carefully and systematically investigated. Although rare, postoperative neuralgia may occur as a consequence of postoperative herpes zoster infection. Failure to promptly diagnose this condition may lead to unnecessary surgery that has associated risks and morbidity.

Dataset on reflection and transmission coefficients of ultrasonic shear horizontal guided waves in plates with wall thinning.

This data article reports the data for reflection and transmission coefficients of the SH0 and SH1 ultrasonic guided waves modes due to their interaction with tapered wall thinning in aluminium plates. Several thinning depths and edge taper angles were machined, at the total of 35 different samples. Periodic permanent magnet array electromagnet acoustic transducers were used to generate and receive the waves. Both modes were individually generated and separated in the received signal by means of effective post-processing technique. Reflection and transmission coefficients were calculated at both the leading and trailing edges of the thinning region for mode-converted and non-mode converted signals; therefore, eight coefficients were calculated for each generated mode, at the total of sixteen coefficients for each sample. Additional finite-element model was used in order to obtain numerical values for the coefficients. These data were used in order to analyze the interaction of the SH0 and SH1 modes with wall thinning and the capabilities of using them in non-destructive evaluation of corrosion-like defects in the research paper entitled "Interaction of SH guided waves with wall thinning" (Kubrusly et al., 2019).

Long-distance pollen and seed dispersal and inbreeding depression in Hymenaea stigonocarpa (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) in the Brazilian savannah.

Hymenaea stigonocarpa is a neotropical tree that is economically important due to its high-quality wood; however, because it has been exploited extensively, it is currently considered threatened. Microsatellite loci were used to investigate the pollen and seed dispersal, mating patterns, spatial genetic structure (SGS), genetic diversity, and inbreeding depression in H. stigonocarpa adults, juveniles, and open-pollinated seeds, which were sampled from isolated trees in a pasture and trees within a forest fragment in the Brazilian savannah. We found that the species presented a mixed mating system, with population and individual variations in the outcrossing rate (0.53-1.0). The studied populations were not genetically isolated due to pollen and seed flow between the studied populations and between the populations and individuals located outside of the study area. Pollen and seed dispersal occurred over long distances (>8 km); however, the dispersal patterns were isolated by distance, with a high frequency of mating occurring between near-neighbor trees and seeds dispersed near the parent trees. The correlated mating for individual seed trees was higher within than among fruits, indicating that fruits present a high proportion of full-sibs. Genetic diversity and SGS were similar among the populations, but offspring showed evidence of inbreeding, mainly originating from mating among related trees, which suggests inbreeding depression between the seed and adult stages. Selfing resulted in a higher inbreeding depression than mating among relatives, as assessed through survival and height. As the populations are not genetically isolated, both are important targets for in situ conservation to maintain their genetic diversity; for ex situ conservation, seeds can be collected from at least 78 trees in both populations separated by at least 250 m.

Mode Selectivity of SH Guided Waves by Dual Excitation and Reception Applied to Mode Conversion Analysis.

Shear horizontally (SH) guided waves, generated by periodic permanent magnet arrays, have been used previously in nondestructive evaluation of metal plates and pipes. When an SH guided wave interacts with a defect or a change in sample thickness, the incident SH wave may undergo mode conversion. Analysis of mode conversion is complicated, due to the interference of several propagating modes in the received signal that can often temporally overlap. This paper proposes a mode selection technique to help understand the interaction of SH guided waves with changes in sample thickness. Using an understanding of the propagation characteristics of the guided waves, SH guided waves are sequentially generated and detected on both surfaces of the plate, capturing four distinct waveforms. By superposition of the detected signals, symmetric modes can be clearly separated from antisymmetric modes in the processed received signals. For this method to work well, the transducers used should have very similar responses and be precisely positioned on exactly opposite positions either side of the plate. Finite element simulations are also performed, mirroring the experimental measurements, and the results correlate well with the experimental observations made on an 8-mm-thick plate with a region of simulated wall thinning machined into the sample.

Perceived attachment security to parents and peer victimization: Does adolescent's aggressive behaviour make a difference?

Peer victimization is one of the most prominent problems during adolescence. Research has distinguished aggressive and non-aggressive victims; however, there are still significant drawbacks in understanding the social and family functioning of these different groups of victimized adolescents. This study aimed to compare social behavior and perceived attachment security to parents of Portuguese adolescents, classified as aggressive victims, non-aggressive victims and non-victims. The sample consisted of 222 adolescents (115 boys, 107 girls) who completed the Kerns Security Scale and the Extended Class Play, to assess perceived attachment security and social behavior, respectively. Controlling for age and sex, aggressive victims and non-aggressive victims differed in anxious withdrawal but shared a similar profile in peer exclusion and prosocial behavior. Only aggressive victims reported lower attachment security to mother and father when compared to non-victims. These findings underline that victimized adolescents constitute a heterogeneous group in terms of their social and family functioning.

Prosocial Behavior and Friendship Quality as Moderators of the Association Between Anxious Withdrawal and Peer Experiences in Portuguese Young Adolescents.

Anxious withdrawal has been associated consistently with adverse peer experiences. However, research has also shown that there is significant heterogeneity among anxiously withdrawn youth. Further, extant research has focused primarily on negative peer experiences and outcomes; little is known about the more successful social experiences of anxiously withdrawn youth. We explored the possibility that the association between anxious withdrawal and group-level peer outcomes (exclusion, victimization, and popularity) might be moderated by peer-valued behaviors (prosocial behavior), friendship relational attributes, and sex, even after accounting for the effects of being involved in a reciprocal best friendship. Peer nominations of psychosocial functioning, and self-reports of best friendships and friendship quality were collected in a community sample of 684 Portuguese young adolescents. Regression analyses revealed that more anxious withdrawn adolescents showed worst group-level peer outcomes, but that: (a) prosocial behavior buffered the positive association between anxious-withdrawal and peer exclusion, particularly for boys; (b) higher friendship quality was associated with lower risk of peer victimization for more anxious-withdrawn girls, but with a higher risk for more anxious withdrawn boys; and (c) higher friendship conflict buffered the positive association between anxious withdrawal and peer exclusion for boys. Results are discussed in terms of the implications of peer-valued characteristics on the peer group experiences of anxiously withdrawn young adolescents.

Perception Accuracy of Affiliative Relationships in Elementary School Children and Young Adolescents.

There has been a rapid growth of studies focused on selection and socialization processes of peer groups, mostly due to the development of stochastic actor-based models to analyze longitudinal social network data. One of the core assumptions of these models is that individuals have an accurate knowledge of the dyadic relationships within their network (i.e., who is and is not connected to whom). Recent cross-sectional findings suggest that elementary school children are very inaccurate in perceiving their classmates' dyadic relationships. These findings question the validity of stochastic actor-based models to study the developmental dynamics of children and carry implications for future research as well as for the interpretation of past findings. The goal of the present study was thus to further explore the adequacy of the accuracy assumption, analysing data from three longitudinal samples of different age groups (elementary school children and adolescents). Our results support the validity of stochastic actor-based models to study the network of adolescents and suggest that the violation of the accuracy assumption for elementary school children is not as severe as previously thought.

Iodine deficiency and thyroid nodular pathology--epidemiological and cancer characteristics in different populations: Portugal and South Africa.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence and pathology pattern of iodine deficiency (ID) related disorders are influenced by the dietary iodine intake: low iodine leads to thyroid nodular enlargement, to an increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer, an increase in anaplastic carcinomas and to an alteration in the papillary to follicular neoplasia ratio. This study aims at highlighting the effects of ID by comparatively evaluating the pattern of thyroid nodular pathology in different populations that, although geographically distant and heterogeneous, both had iodine deficiency at the time of data gathering and are at high altitude: Beira Interior (BI) in Portugal and Johannesburg (JHB) in South Africa. (S.A.) Mandatory salt iodization introduced in S. A. in 1995 has recently been shown to have resulted in the correction of ID. METHODS: Evaluation of thyroid histology reports over a 6 year period in BI and a 5 year period in the JHB area. RESULTS: Region of BI: 278 patients with histology reports-60 were malignancies (21.2 %): 31 papillary carcinomas, 22 follicular cancers (18 follicular carcinomas and 4 Hürthle cell tumours), 3 medullary carcinomas and 4 anaplastic carcinomas. Region of JHB: 136 histology reports- 33 were malignancies (24.3 %): 13 papillary carcinomas, 15 follicular cancers (10 follicular carcinomas and 5 Hürthle cell tumours), 1 medullary carcinoma, 3 anaplastic carcinomas and 1 metastatic carcinoma into the thyroid. There was an overlap in the frequencies of all histology types, of particular relevance in the relatively high anaplastic carcinoma incidences and in the papillary to follicular carcinoma ratios which was close to 1 in both areas- BI area ratio: 1.4 and JHB area ratio: 0.87, with overlapping 95 % CI's, also confirmed by the results of the chi-square calculations. CONCLUSIONS: During the study periods evaluated both study areas displayed pathology patterns usually found in ID. Public information regarding the negative consequences of ID combined with the availability of affordable iodized salt are likely to achieve the goal of the elimination of ID. Sea based nutrition, (naturally iodine containing), may also contribute to the elimination of ID, particularly at times when salt restriction tends to be generally advised.

O retraimento social em adolescentes: um estudo descritivo do seu ajustamento sócio-emocional segundo a perspectiva dos professores / Social withdrawal in adolescents: a descriptive study of their socio emotional adjustment from the teacher perspective / El retraimiento social en adolescentes: un estudio descriptivo de su adaptación socio-emocional desde la perspectiva de los profesores

O retraimento social dos adolescentes refere-se ao auto-isolamento relativamente ao seu grupo de pares, que se traduz num comportamento solitário manifestado de forma consistente (em diferentes situações e ao longo do tempo) e na presença de pares com quem têm familiaridade ou não. Este comportamento pode ter consequências negativas, principalmente na adolescência e pode ser um fator preditor de ajustamento psicossocial. Este estudo tem por objetivo analisar a relação entre o retraimento social e o ajustamento sócio-emocional, em termos de comportamento e competências académicas em meio escolar. Participaram no estudo 348 estudantes, com uma média de idades de 14 anos e residência na região da grande Lisboa. Os dados do retraimento social foram recolhidos através da adaptação do Extended Class Play e os do ajustamento sócio-emocional através da adaptação do Teacher-Child Rating Scale. Os resultados mostram que os professores perceberam os adolescentes socialmente retraídos como sendo menos assertivos e como tendo menos aptidões sociais com os pares. Estes resultados apontam para constrangimentos na sua capacidade de ajustamento sócio-emocional à escola.(AU).

Adolescents social withdrawal refers to the self-isolation relative to their peer group translating into a solitary behavior manifested consistently (in different situations and over time) and in the presence of either familiar or unfamiliar peers. This behavior can have negative consequences, especially in adolescence and can be a predictor of psychosocial adjustment. This study aims to analyze the relationship between social withdrawal and socio-emotional adjustment in terms of behavior and academic skills in the school environment. A total of 348 students participated in the study, with a mean age of 14 years and living in Lisbon metropolitan region. The data of social withdrawal were collected through the Portuguese adaptation of the Extended Class Play and the socio-emotional adjustment data through the Teacher-Child Rating Scale. The results show that teachers perceived the socially withdrawn young as less assertive and as having fewer social skills with peers. These results point to constraints on the ability of social-emotional adjustment to school.(AU).

El retraimiento social se refiere al auto-aislamiento de los jóvenes en relación con su grupo de pares que se traduce en un comportamiento solitario manifestado constantemente (en diferentes situaciones y con el tiempo) y en presencia, ya sea de los pares familiares o no familiares. Este comportamiento puede tener consecuencias negativas, sobre todo en la adolescencia, y puede ser un factor de pronóstico/un antecedente de la adaptación psicosocial. El objetivo del presente estudio es analizar la relación entre el aislamiento social y el ajuste socio-emocional en términos de comportamiento y las habilidades en la escuela. Trescientos cuarenta y ocho estudiantes participaron en el estudio, con una edad media de 14 años, y que viven en la región de Lisboa. Los datos del aislamiento social fueron recogidos a través de la adaptación portuguesa del Extended Class Play y los del ajuste socio-emocional a través del Teacher-Child Rating Scale. Los resultados muestran que los profesores perciben a los jóvenes socialmente aislados como menos asertivos y como teniendo menos habilidades sociales con sus pares. Estos resultados apuntan a las limitaciones en la capacidad de ajuste social y emocional a la escuela.(AU).

Paternity analysis reveals significant isolation and near neighbor pollen dispersal in small Cariniana legalis Mart. Kuntze populations in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Throughout the world, large trees are increasingly rare. Cariniana legalis is the tallest tree species of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, reaching up to 60 m in height. Due to extensive deforestation of the Atlantic Forest, remnant C. legalis populations are small and spatially isolated, requiring the development of strategies for their conservation. For in situ and ex situ genetic conservation to be effective, it is important to understand the levels and patterns of spatial genetic structure (SGS), and gene flow. We investigated SGS and pollen flow in three small, physically isolated C. legalis stands using microsatellite loci. We measured, mapped, and sampled all C. legalis trees in the three stands: 65 trees from Ibicatu population, 22 trees from MGI, and 4 trees from MGII. We also collected and genotyped 600 seeds from Ibicatu, 250 seeds from MGI, and 200 seeds from MGII. Significant SGS was detected in Ibicatu up to 150 m, but substantial levels of external pollen flow were also detected in Ibicatu (8%), although not in MGI (0.4%) or MGII (0%). Selfing was highest in MGII (18%), the smallest group of trees, compared to MGI (6.4%) and Ibicatu (6%). In MGI and MGII, there was a strong pattern of mating among near-neighbors. Seed collection strategies for breeding, in situ and ex situ conservation and ecological restoration, must ensure collection from seed trees located at distances greater than 350 m and from several forest fragments.

Development and characterization of 32 microsatellite loci in Genipa americana (Rubiaceae).

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Microsatellite primers were developed for the tree species Genipa americana (Rubiaceae) for further population genetic studies. • METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified 144 clones containing 65 repeat motifs from a genomic library enriched for (CT)8 and (GT)8 motifs. Primer pairs were developed for 32 microsatellite loci and validated in 40 individuals of two natural G. americana populations. Seventeen loci were polymorphic, revealing from three to seven alleles per locus. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.24 to 1.00 and from 0.22 to 0.78, respectively. • CONCLUSIONS: The 17 primers identified as polymorphic loci are suitable to study the genetic diversity and structure, mating system, and gene flow in G. americana.