New Cretaceous (Aptian/Albian) boxer shrimp (Crustacea, Decapoda, Stenopodidea) from the Araripe Sedimentary Basin, NE, Brazil.

Stenopodidean shrimps are mostly cryptic in their habitats and are typically related with coral rubble or dead coral heads, rocks and crevices, and in association with other marine invertebrate such as sponges, crinoids and corals. Here, we describe a new stenopodidean shrimp, Dubiostenopus parvus n. gen. n. sp., from the Romualdo Formation (Aptian/Albian), Araripe Sedimentary Basin. The specimen studied here was collected in the municipality of Trindade, Pernambuco State, Brazil. The specimen is the imprint of a small shrimp approximately 10 mm in length, with a robust cephalothorax, a well-developed cheliped in the third pereiopod, and a second pleura not overlapping the first. This is the first stenopodidean shrimp described from the Romualdo Formation and the first described from South America. Comparisons with other Brazilian shrimp-like fossils are made, as well as comparisons with all other fossil stenopodideans.

Osteohistological characterization of notosuchian osteoderms: Evidence for an overlying thick leathery layer of skin.

Osteoderms are mineralized structures embedded in the dermis, known for nonavian archosaurs, squamates, xenarthrans, and amphibians. Herein, we compared the osteoderm histology of Brazilian Notosuchia of Cretaceous age using three neosuchians for comparative purposes. Microanatomical analyses showed that most of them present a diploe structure similar to those of other pseudosuchians, lizards, and turtles. This structure contains two cortices (the external cortex composed of an outer and an inner layers, and the basal cortex) and a core in-between them. Notosuchian osteoderms show high bone compactness (>0.85) with varying degrees of cancellous bone in the core. The neosuchian Guarinisuchus shows the lowest bone compactness with a well-developed cancellous layer. From an ontogenetic perspective, most tissues are formed through periosteal ossification, although the mineralized tissues observed in baurusuchid LPRP/USP 0634 suggest a late metaplastic development. Histology suggests that the ossification center of notosuchian osteoderm is located at the keel. Interestingly, we identified Sharpey's fibers running perpendicularly to the outer layer of the external cortex in Armadillosuchus arrudai, Itasuchus jesuinoi, and Baurusuchidae (LPRP/USP 0642). This feature indicates a tight attachment within the dermis, and it is evidence for the presence of an overlying thick leathery layer of skin over these osteoderms. These data allow a better understanding of the osteohistological structure of crocodylomorph dermal bones, and highlight their structural diversity. We suggest that the vascular canals present in some sampled osteoderms connecting the inner layer of the external cortex and the core with the external surface may increase osteoderm surface and the capacity of heat transfer in terrestrial notosuchians.

New findings on Dendrobranchiata fossils of the Romualdo Formation, Araripe Basin, Northeast of Brazil.

The Araripe Basin is the largest inland basin in northeastern Brazil is known for its preservation excellent, number of specimens and variety of fossil species. The Araripe Basin stands out for its fossiliferous content of well known fossil groups, from vertebrates to invertebrates, especially decapod crustaceans. Thus, a morphological re-description of two shrimp species, Paleomattea deliciosa and Araripenaeus timidus, was carried out through taxonomic and morphoanatomical analysis. The mechanical preparation methodology was adopted in the laboratory, with a total of 58 specimens were analyzed and photographed to determine which characters were preserved or not, as well as to compared these with holotypes.                The results show that characters such as carapaces complete with the presence of spines, pleon with six somites, pereiopods and pleopods, in addition to uropods and telson were preserved in Paleomattea deliciosa, while carapaces, pleon complete and pereiopods were preserved in Araripenaeus timidus. Thus, the current study provides new species information which can be used in future species-type studies and contributes to a better understanding of these Araripe species.

A new genus and species of Solenoceridae (Crustacea, Decapoda, Dendrobranchiata) from the Cretaceous (Aptian/Albian) of the Araripe Sedimentary Basin, Brazil.

The first fossil Solenoceridae found from the Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) is described in the Araripe Sedimentary basin, Priorhyncha feitosai n. gen. n. sp. The material was collected in the strata of the Romualdo Formation, municipality of Trindade, Pernambuco. Characters that permit placement of the new species in Solenoceridae are: a short, dorsally serrated rostrum; a marked cervical groove; and the presence of an antennal spine. Those characters are also diagnostic for Priorhyncha feitosai n. gen. n. sp. when compared to the other Dendrobranchiata shrimp described from this basin.

Fluorescence spectroscopy to diagnose hepatic steatosis in a rat model of fatty liver.

BACKGROUND: Steatosis is diagnosed on the basis of the macroscopic aspect of the liver evaluated by the surgeon at the time of organ extraction or by means of a frozen biopsy. AIM: In the present study, the applicability of laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy was investigated as a method for the diagnosis of different degrees of steatosis experimentally induced in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Rats received a high-lipid diet for different periods of time. The animals were divided into groups according to the degree of induced steatosis diagnosis by histology. The concentration of fat in the liver was correlated with LIF by means of the steatosis fluorescence factor (SFF). RESULTS: The histology classification, according to liver fat concentration was, Severe Steatosis, Moderate Steatosis, Mild Steatosis and Control (no liver steatosis). Fluorescence intensity could be directly correlated with fat content. It was possible to estimate an average of fluorescence intensity variable by means of different confidence intervals (P=95%) for each steatosis group. SFF was significantly higher in the Severe Steatosis group (P<0.001) compared with the Moderate Steatosis, Mild Steatosis and Control groups. CONCLUSION: The various degrees of steatosis could be directly correlated with SFF. LIF spectroscopy proved to be a method capable of identifying the degree of hepatic steatosis in this animal model, and has the potential of clinical application for non-invasive evaluation of the degree of steatosis.