Muntingia yellow spot virus: a novel New World begomovirus infecting Muntingia calabura L.

The whole genome sequence of a begomovirus (family Geminiviridae) infecting Muntingia calabura L. (family Muntingiaceae) from the province of Guayas in Ecuador was determined in this work. The major symptom observed on this plant species was yellow spots on leaves. The nucleotide sequences of three DNA-A clones and one DNA-B clone were compared to those of other begomoviruses. The DNA-A clones displayed the highest similarity to isolates of pepper leafroll virus (PepLRV), with 87.4 to 88.1% sequence identity. Likewise, the DNA-B clone showed the highest similarity (79.3-79.6% sequence identity) to PepLRV isolates. According to the demarcation criteria for begomovirus species, the begomovirus described in this work, for which we propose the name "muntingia yellow spot virus", represents a novel species. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of a begomovirus infecting a plant of the family Muntingiaceae.

Correlação entre qualidade da água e ocorrência de diarreia e hepatite A no Distrito Federal/Brasil / Correlation between drinking water quality and occurrence of diarrhea and hepatitis A in the Federal District/Brazil

RESUMO O abastecimento público de água de maneira segura e eficiente ainda é um desafio no Brasil. Isso pode levar a um aumento na incidência de agravos como Doença Diarreica Aguda (DDA) e hepatite A. O objetivo deste trabalho foi associar a qualidade da água distribuída e a ocorrência de DDA e hepatite A no Distrito Federal (DF) (Brasil) entre 2012 e 2017. Os dados referentes aos índices de reclamação relativos à água e da não conformidade da sua qualidade foram cedidos pela Companhia de Abastecimento do DF. As taxas de ocorrência de DDA e hepatite A foram obtidos pela Secretaria de Saúde. Os índices de reclamação tiveram relação direta com os de não conformidades na concentração de cloro residual livre e de turbidez da água; no entanto, essa relação foi inversa aos agravos. Isso mostra que o monitoramento realizado pelo controle de qualidade da concessionária teve relevância na redução desses agravos, inclusive durante o período de intermitência no abastecimento (2017). O canal de comunicação entre os usuários e o prestador de serviços, portanto, foi fundamental para as ações corretivas da empresa, o que refletiu na redução de casos de DDA e de hepatite A.

ABSTRACT Safe and efficient public water supply is still a challenge in Brazil. This may lead to an increased incidence of diseases such as Acute Diarrheal Disease (ADD) and hepatitis A. The aim of this study was to associate the quality of water distributed and the occurrence of ADD and hepatitis A in the Federal District (FD) (Brazil) between 2012 and 2017. Data regarding the complaint rates related to water and the non-compliance of its quality were provided by the Supply Company of the FD. The occurrence rates of ADD and hepatitis A were obtained by the Department of Health. Complaint rates were directly related to the non-conformities in relation to free residual chlorine concentration and turbidity of water; however, that relation was inverse to the injuries. This shows that the monitoring carried out by the concessionaire's quality control was relevant in reducing these problems, even during the intermittent supply period (2017). Therefore, the communication channel between users and the service provider was fundamental for the company's corrective actions, which reflected in the reduction of ADD and hepatitis A cases.

Glycodendritic structures based on Boltorn hyperbranched polymers and their interactions with Lens culinaris lectin.

Multivalent scaffolds bearing carbohydrates have been prepared to mediate biological processes where carbohydrates are involved. These systems consist of dendritic structures based on Boltorn H20 and H30 hyperbranched polymers to which carbohydrates are linked through a convenient spacer. Mannose has been chosen as a sugar unit to test the viability of this strategy. These glycodendritic compounds have been prepared in a few steps with good yields, showing a high solubility in physiological media and low toxicity. The binding of these dendritic polymers to the mannose-binding lectin Lens culinaris (LCA) was studied using STD-NMR experiments and quantitative precipitation assays. The results demonstrate the existence of a clear interaction between the mannose derivative systems and the Lens lectin where the dendritic scaffold does not have an important role in mannose binding but supplies the necessary multivalence for lectin cluster formation. These glycodendritic structures are able to interact with a receptor, and therefore they can be considered as promising tools for biological studies.