Community of orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in transitional vegetation between Cerrado and Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil.

The community of orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossina) was studied at an area in the transition between the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes, from March, 2010 to February, 2011 in the Barroso region, state of Minas Gerais, eastern Brazil. Orchid-bee males were collected with bait traps containing three different scents (cineole, eugenol and vanillin) and with entomological nets for collecting bees on flowers. A total of 614 orchid-bee males were collected using aromatic traps, belonging to four genera and 15 species. Twenty-five female specimens belonging to two genera and at least three species were collected on flowers. Eulaema (Apeulaema) nigrita Lepeletier, 1841 was the most abundant species (50% of collected specimens), followed by Euglossa (Euglossa) truncata Rebêlo & Moure, 1996 (28%). Cineole was the most attractive compound (66.5% of males and 13 species), followed by eugenol (16% and 9 species) and vanillin (13.5% and 4 species). Eulaema (Apeulaema) marcii Nemésio, 2009 and Eufriesea auriceps (Friese, 1899) were attracted to all scents, whereas Euglossa species were collected only in cineole and eugenol.

Common mental disorders in pregnancy in the context of interpartner violence.

Pregnancy is generally described as a period with a high incidence of common mental disorders (CMD) in the life cycle of many women who incur the risk of developing mental problems including depression, post-traumatic stress and drug abuse. Our objective with this study was to gauge how the presence of violence in Portuguese pregnant women affected their psychopathology. One hundred and eighty-four pregnant outpatients of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of the Hospital Pedro Hispano in Matosinhos, Oporto, Portugal with an average age of 29 and in their last 3 months of pregnancy were the subjects of this study. These participants were divided into two groups: one of abused women (n= 107) and another of non-abused women (n= 77). In order to be able to compare them, both groups were assessed with the Conflict Tactic Scale 2, the Brief Symptom Inventory and the Inventory of the Clinical Evaluation of Depression. It was observed that pregnant women who had suffered violence during pregnancy exhibited some form of CMD during pregnancy. Another important finding was the evidence of the negative impacts that domestic violence had on the mental health of women.

Prevalence of infection by JC and BK polyomaviruses in kidney transplant recipients and patients with chronic renal disease.

The present study investigated the prevalence of infection by JC and BK polyomaviruses (JCV and BKV) in patients with chronic renal disease (CRD), kidney transplant recipients, and a control group of asymptomatic subjects. We tested a total of 295 urine samples. After DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction assay was used to amplify a fragment of 173 bp of the polyomavirus T antigen, followed by analysis using the BamHI restriction endonuclease. Infection by polyomavirus was detected in 17.6% (52/295 subjects) of the subjects. Whereas 30.5% (18/59) of transplant recipients were infected, the frequency was only 22.4% (30/134) in the control subjects, and 3.9% (4/102) in the CRD group (all JCV). The vast majority of infections (88.9%; 16/18) in transplant recipients were of the BKV type, whereas this type was absent in CRD patients, and made up only 10.0% (3/30) of infections in the control group. The risk of BKV infection was 72 times greater in renal transplant patients than in asymptomatic subjects. The low frequency of infection found in CRD patients may have been related to elevated levels of urea excreted in the urine, together with reduced urine volume and cell content. These factors may combine to reduce viral load or inhibit amplification. The results of the study indicate a need for the routine screening for polyomavirus in pre- and post-transplant patients, as well as organ donors, considering that BKV infection has been associated with graft rejection in kidney transplants.