Histomorphologic characterization of the hepatopancreas of freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879) / Caracterização histomorfológica do hepatopâncreas do camarão-de-água-doce Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879)

This study aimed to describe the Macrobrachium rosenbergii hepatopancreas histomorphology. The hepatopancreas is constituted by a set of blind end tubules, divided into proximal, middle, and distal regions, with the epithelium formed by E, F, B, R, and M cells differently of other species. Measurements of the length and width of the tubules were 419.64+69.09µm and 117.42+16.99µm, respectively. The percentage of each cell type per region was: proximal region (40%B, 20%F, 6.7%M, 33.3%R), middle region (45.4%B, 18.2%F, 9.1%M, and 27.3%R) and distal region (36.4%E, 27.2%B, 18.2%F, 9.1%M, 9.1%R). Cell B that stores glycogen and lipids, is the most commonly found cell in proximal and middle regions. In the distal region, the E, responsible for the mitosis, is the most prominent. M, responsible by nutrient storage, is numerically constant among the portions differently in the Macrobrachium amazonicum. The study for the first time also suggests that in addition to digestive enzymes, the F cell produces protective mucus. The present study generated for the first time a morphometric profile of M. rosenbergii hepatopancreas, demonstrating differences from other species, and can be an important tool for new studies in nutrition, reproduction, and production with the species.(AU)

O objetivo do presente estudo foi descrever a histomorfologia do hepatopâncreas do camarão-de-água-doce Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Observou-se que ele é constituído por um conjunto de túbulos de fundo cego, sendo cada túbulo dividido em regiões proximal, média e distal, com o epitélio formado por cinco tipos de células (E, F, B, R, M), diferentemente de outras espécies. As medidas de comprimento e largura dos túbulos foram de 419,64+69,09µm e 117,42+16,99µm, respectivamente. A porcentagem de cada tipo celular por região foi: região proximal (40%B, 20%F, 6,7%M, 33,3%R), região média (45,4%B, 18,2%F, 9,1%M e 27,3%R) e região distal (36,4%E, 27,2%B, 18,2%F, 9,1%M, 9,1%R). Assim, a B, que armazena glicogênio e lipídeos, é a célula mais encontrada nas regiões proximal e média. Na região distal, a célula E, responsável pela mitose, é a mais encontrada. A célula M, responsável pelo acúmulo de nutrientes, tem um número constante de células nas porções do túbulo, diferentemente do Macrobrachium amazonicum. O estudo também sugere, pela primeira vez, que a célula F produz, além de enzimas digestivas, um muco protetor para o túbulo hepatopancreático. O presente estudo foi o primeiro a gerar um perfil morfométrico do hepatopâncreas do M. rosenbergii e demonstrou diferenças em relação a outras espécies, bem como serviu de importante ferramenta para novos estudos que abranjam a produção, a nutrição e a reprodução para a espécie.(AU)

Female Preference and Offspring Performance in the Seed Beetle Gibbobruchus bergamini Manfio & Ribeiro-Costa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae): A Multi-Scale Comparison.

The search for and choice of oviposition sites are a key step in the life cycle of herbivorous insects. Theory predicts that natural selection should favor the discrimination ability of female insects to select between high- and low-quality oviposition sites. However, correlation between female preference and offspring performance is apparently lacking or even negative in some herbivore-plant systems. A possible explanation for this seeming failure is that most studies have focused on a single factor and spatial scale. Here, we investigated the preference-performance relationship in the seed beetle Gibbobruchus bergamini Manfio & Ribeiro-Costa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). We took into account several potential factors affecting oviposition choices and larval survivorship through a multi-level approach. Hierarchical analysis that controlled for the non-independence of observations demonstrated that oviposition site choices were not related to the factors that most influenced larval survivorship. The apparent effects of other pod-feeding herbivores were greater at the plant and branch scales while at the pod level the most important factors were plant-related variables. Oviposition choices seemed to be time-constrained, meaning that females have little opportunity to further increase offspring performance through additional compensatory choices.

Ectoparasites and endoparasites of fish form networks with different structures.

Hosts and parasites interact with each other in a variety of ways, and this diversity of interactions is reflected in the networks they form. To test for differences in interaction patterns of ecto- and endoparasites we analysed subnetworks formed by each kind of parasites and their host fish species in fish-parasite networks for 22 localities. We assessed the proportion of parasite species per host species, the relationship between parasite fauna composition and host taxonomy, connectance, nestedness and modularity of each subnetwork (n = 44). Furthermore, we evaluated the similarity in host species composition among modules in ecto- and endoparasite subnetworks. We found several differences between subnetworks of fish ecto- and endoparasites. The association with a higher number of host species observed among endoparasites resulted in higher connectance and nestedness, and lower values of modularity in their subnetworks than in those of ectoparasites. Taxonomically related host species tended to share ecto- or endoparasites with the same interaction intensity, but the species composition of hosts tended to differ between modules formed by ecto- and endoparasites. Our results suggest that different evolutionary and ecological processes are responsible for organizing the networks formed by ecto- and endoparasites and fish.

Parasitoid Wasps in Flower Heads of Asteraceae in the Brazilian Cerrado: Taxonomical Composition and Determinants of Diversity.

This study provides the first survey of the parasitoid fauna reared in flower heads of Asteraceae in the Brazilian cerrado. We investigated the relative importance of herbivore richness and plant species commonness to differences in parasitoid species richness among the plant species. A total of 15,372 specimens from 192 morphospecies belonging to 103 genera of Hymenoptera were reared from the flower heads of 74 Asteraceae species. Chalcidoidea and Ichneumonoidea were the most common superfamilies, with Eulophidae and Braconidae as the main families of parasitoid wasps. Singletons and doubletons accounted for 45% of total parasitoid species richness. The number of parasitoid species per plant species ranged from 1 to 67, and the variation in parasitoid species richness among plants was mainly explained by the number of sites in which the plants were recorded. This study shows that there is a highly diversified fauna of Hymenoptera parasitoids associated with flower heads of Asteraceae in the Brazilian cerrado. Our findings suggest that the accumulation of parasitoid species on plants is mainly determined by the regional commonness of plant species rather than the number of herbivore species associated with the plants.

Anestesia subaracnóidea com bupivacaína isobárica: avaliaçäo clínica em pacientes traumato-ortopédicos; comparaçäo com a bupivacína hiperbárica / A comparative study between isobaric and hyperbaric bupivacaine in spinal blockade during orthopedic procedures in trauma patients

Foram estudados 20 pacientes submetidos a cirugias traumato-ortopédicas de membors inferiores, sob bloqueio subaracnóideo, com bupivacaína isobárica (BI) a 5% (15 mg), puncionados, em decúbito lateral, no interespaço L3-L4, e, logo após, posicionados em, decúbito dorsal horizontal. Avaliaram-se os resultados, clinicamente, quanto ao nível do bloqueio sensitivo, grau de bloqueio motor, além de tempos de latência e tempos de regressäo, sob vários métodos. Os resultados também foram comparados àqueles obtidos com Bupivacaína Hiperbárica (BH) em estudo anterior. As latências obtidas com BI foram sempre superiores às da BH. A extensäo do bloqueio sensitivo médio da BL foi de 9,1 ñ 1,9 segmentos, enquanto que da BH foi de 16,65 ñ 2,83 segmentos. Nos dois estudos o bloqueio motor foi completo, segundo a escala de Bromage. Os tempos de regressäo foram sempre superiores para a BI. Como conclusäo apontam a formulaçäo isobárica como satisfatória para os procedimentos propostos; ratificam uma característica hipobárica à soluçäo de bupivacaína isobárica e recomendam a BI para as anestesias subaracnóideas diante de cirurgias de membros inferiores, uma vez que esta é praticamente isenta de repercussöes hemodinâmicas, com maior previsibilidade de bloqueio e nítida vantagem sobre o tempo de regressäo de anestesia

Estudo comparativo entre massas idênticas de bupivacaína a 0.3 e 0.75 por cento com adrenalina, em bloqueio do plexo braquial por via axilar / Same mass in different concentrations of bupivacaine: a comparative study in axillary block of brachial plexus

Em dois grupos de dez pacientes, estado físico ASA I ou II, pré-medicados com diazepam, foi realizado o bloqueio do plexo braquial, por via axilar, segundo modificaçäo da técnica proposta por Adriani. Ambos os grupos receberam 97,5 mg de bupivacaína. No grupo I utilizaram-se 32,5 ml de soluçäo a 0,3 por cento com adrenalina a 1:200.000. No grupo II, 13 ml a 0,75 por cento com a mesma concentraçäo do vasopressor. A análise dos resultados pelo teste "t" de Student demonstrou um bloqueio efetivo com latências sensitivas e motora semelhantes para ambos os grupos. O grupo II apresentou uma duraçäo total da analgesia estatisticamente superior ao Grupo I (p < 0,0025). Conclui-se que pequenos volumes de bupivacaína 0,75 por cento säo eficientes no bloqueio axilar do plexo braquial, com a técnica utilizada, e que a duraçäo total da analgesia é superior com a droga mais concentrada