Comparative study of the physiological and health quality of traditional and biofortified cowpea seeds.

Cowpea is one of the main crops in family agriculture, especially in the Northeastern region of Brazil, and it is expanding to other regions in Brazil. The use of seeds with low physiological and health quality is reflected in the plant development and consequently yield, making it important to study the seed physiological and health quality. The objective of the present study was to assess the physiology and health of traditional and biofortified cowpea seeds. The traditional cowpea varieties (Angelim, Mercado and Manteguinha) and the biofortified cowpea cultivars (BRS Aracê, BRS Xique-Xique and BRS Tumucumaque) were assessed for the following physiological parameters: water content (WC), first count (FC), germination test (G), germination speed index (GSI), seedling emergence in the greenhouse (E), emergence speed index (ESI), seedling aerial part and root length (APL and RL) and electric conductivity test (EC). The seed health quality was assessed by the Blotter Test. The water content present in the seeds of the traditional and biofortified varieties ranged from 10% to 14%. All the traditional and biofortified varieties showed high germination and emergence value in the greenhouse. The germination and emergence speed indexes indicated the BRS Aracê and BRS Xique-Xique cultivars as the most vigorous. In the health tests the highest indexes were the storage fungi Aspergillus sp., Cladosporium sp. and Penicillium sp., with the highest prevalence in the BRS Tumucumaque variety, which was probably related to the higher water content present in this variety.

SERS-active substrates using DVD-R coated in silver thin films: A preliminary study for detection of commercial glyphosate.

Glyphosate (GLP) is the herbicide with the highest level of global commercialization and historical use. Even though numerous studies have found this substance to be harmless, current research demonstrates that GLP might affect human health. For this reason, researcher efforts are concentrating on alternatives for analytical quantification, such as Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). In this work, a DVD-R@AgNPs SERS substrate was produced by the Cathodic Cage Plasma Deposition (CCPD) technique, which allowed a thin film layer deposition of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the PC grating structure from Digital Video/Versatile Disc Recordable (DVD-R). Scanning Electron Microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was used to characterize the substrate and chemical changes on the surface after AgNPs deposition. The DVD-R@AgNPs substrate was used to detect standard crystal violet (CV), GLP, and RoundupTM GLP (GLP-RU) using Raman Spectroscopy. The CV was used as a control sample for SERS measurement, allowing the calculation of the substrate enhancement factor, which was in the order of âˆ¼ 105. To evaluate the efficiency of the SERS substrate, the limit of detection was calculated and showed values of âˆ¼ 10-10 mol/L for CV, 10-7 and 10-8 mol/L for GLP, and 10-6 mol/L for GLP-RU. Thus, the DVD-R@AgNPs SERS sensor is a low-cost substrate that analyzes traces of pesticides such as commercial GLP, demonstrating high SERS sensitivities and many applications.

Biology, Thermal Requirements, and Fertility Life Table of Strains of Trichogramma foersteri (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in Palpita forficifera (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).

Trichogramma foersteri Takahashi is a parasitoid recently identified in eggs of Palpita forficifera Munroe, considered the main pest of the olive tree in Brazil. The efficiency of a parasitoid is conditioned to several factors such as the temperature. The objective was to study the biology of the immature and adult phases at different constant temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 °C), determine thermal requirements, and to elaborate a fertility life table for five strains (R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5) to T. foersteri. At 10 °C, there was no development of T. foersteri. The duration of the egg-adult period (days) was inversely related to temperature, ranging from 32 to 34 days (at 15 °C) to 6.5 to 7.5 days (at 30 °C). The thermal range evaluated did not influence parasitism (parasitism > 57%) and the sex ratio (sr > 0.74). The base temperature (Tt) was similar for all strains (approximately 12 °C), corresponding to a thermal constant (K) of 120.48 to 145.13 degree days. For the adult stage, T. foersteri had the highest rate of parasitism (> 48%) to 15 °C. The emergence rate ranged from 75 to 100%. The thermal range did not influence the sex ratio of the lines (sr > 0.70), but reduced the longevity from 50 days (at 15 °C) to 6 days (at 30 °C). Regarding the fertility life table, all strains of T. foersteri showed biological potential of development and growth in eggs of P. forficifera in the thermal range of 15 to 30 °C, important information for the establishment of biological control programs.

Amazonian soil fungi are efficient degraders of glyphosate herbicide; novel isolates of Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Trichoderma / Os fungos do solo amazônico são degradadores eficientes do herbicida glifosato; novos isolados de Penicillium, Aspergillus e Trichoderma

Pesticide residues that contaminate the environment circulate within the hydrological cycle can accumulate within the food chain and cause problems to both environmental and human health. Microbes, however, are well known for their metabolic versatility and the ability to degrade chemically stable substances, including recalcitrant xenobiotics. The current study focused on bio-prospecting within Amazonian rainforest soils to find novel strains fungi capable of efficiently degrading the agriculturally and environmentally ubiquitous herbicide, glyphosate. Of 50 fungal strains isolated (using culture media supplemented with glyphosate as the sole carbon-substrate), the majority were Penicillium strains (60%) and the others were Aspergillus and Trichoderma strains (26 and 8%, respectively). All 50 fungal isolates could use glyphosate as a phosphorous source. Eight of these isolates grew better on glyphosate-supplemented media than on regular Czapek Dox medium. LC-MS revealed that glyphosate degradation by Penicillium 4A21 resulted in sarcosine and aminomethylphosphonic acid.(AU)

Resíduos de agrotóxicos que contaminam o meio ambiente circulam no ciclo hidrológico, podendo se acumular na cadeia alimentar e causar problemas tanto à saúde ambiental quanto humana. Por sua vez, microrganismos são bem conhecidos por sua versatilidade metabólica e capacidade de degradar substâncias quimicamente estáveis, incluindo xenobióticos recalcitrantes. O estudo atual se concentrou na bioprospecção nos solos da floresta amazônica para encontrar novas linhagens de fungos capazes de degradar com eficiência o herbicida onipresente na agricultura e no meio ambiente, o glifosato. Entre os 50 fungos isolados (usando meio de cultura suplementado com glifosato como única fonte de carbono), a maioria eram isolados do gênero Penicillium (60%) e os outros eram isolados de Aspergillus e Trichoderma (26 e 8%, respectivamente). Todos os 50 isolados de fungos foram capazes de usar glifosato como fonte de fósforo. Oito desses isolados cresceram melhor em meio suplementado com glifosato do que em meio Czapek Dox regular. LC-MS revelou que a degradação do glifosato por Penicillium 4A21 resultou nos metabólitos sarcosina e ácido aminometilfosfônico.(AU)

Amazonian soil fungi are efficient degraders of glyphosate herbicide; novel isolates of Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Trichoderma / Os fungos do solo amazônico são degradadores eficientes do herbicida glifosato; novos isolados de Penicillium, Aspergillus e Trichoderma

Pesticide residues that contaminate the environment circulate within the hydrological cycle can accumulate within the food chain and cause problems to both environmental and human health. Microbes, however, are well known for their metabolic versatility and the ability to degrade chemically stable substances, including recalcitrant xenobiotics. The current study focused on bio-prospecting within Amazonian rainforest soils to find novel strains fungi capable of efficiently degrading the agriculturally and environmentally ubiquitous herbicide, glyphosate. Of 50 fungal strains isolated (using culture media supplemented with glyphosate as the sole carbon-substrate), the majority were Penicillium strains (60%) and the others were Aspergillus and Trichoderma strains (26 and 8%, respectively). All 50 fungal isolates could use glyphosate as a phosphorous source. Eight of these isolates grew better on glyphosate-supplemented media than on regular Czapek Dox medium. LC-MS revealed that glyphosate degradation by Penicillium 4A21 resulted in sarcosine and aminomethylphosphonic acid.

Resíduos de agrotóxicos que contaminam o meio ambiente circulam no ciclo hidrológico, podendo se acumular na cadeia alimentar e causar problemas tanto à saúde ambiental quanto humana. Por sua vez, microrganismos são bem conhecidos por sua versatilidade metabólica e capacidade de degradar substâncias quimicamente estáveis, incluindo xenobióticos recalcitrantes. O estudo atual se concentrou na bioprospecção nos solos da floresta amazônica para encontrar novas linhagens de fungos capazes de degradar com eficiência o herbicida onipresente na agricultura e no meio ambiente, o glifosato. Entre os 50 fungos isolados (usando meio de cultura suplementado com glifosato como única fonte de carbono), a maioria eram isolados do gênero Penicillium (60%) e os outros eram isolados de Aspergillus e Trichoderma (26 e 8%, respectivamente). Todos os 50 isolados de fungos foram capazes de usar glifosato como fonte de fósforo. Oito desses isolados cresceram melhor em meio suplementado com glifosato do que em meio Czapek Dox regular. LC-MS revelou que a degradação do glifosato por Penicillium 4A21 resultou nos metabólitos sarcosina e ácido aminometilfosfônico.

Amazonian soil fungi are efficient degraders of glyphosate herbicide; novel isolates of Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Trichoderma / Os fungos do solo amazônico são degradadores eficientes do herbicida glifosato; novos isolados de Penicillium, Aspergillus e Trichoderma

Abstract Pesticide residues that contaminate the environment circulate within the hydrological cycle can accumulate within the food chain and cause problems to both environmental and human health. Microbes, however, are well known for their metabolic versatility and the ability to degrade chemically stable substances, including recalcitrant xenobiotics. The current study focused on bio-prospecting within Amazonian rainforest soils to find novel strains fungi capable of efficiently degrading the agriculturally and environmentally ubiquitous herbicide, glyphosate. Of 50 fungal strains isolated (using culture media supplemented with glyphosate as the sole carbon-substrate), the majority were Penicillium strains (60%) and the others were Aspergillus and Trichoderma strains (26 and 8%, respectively). All 50 fungal isolates could use glyphosate as a phosphorous source. Eight of these isolates grew better on glyphosate-supplemented media than on regular Czapek Dox medium. LC-MS revealed that glyphosate degradation by Penicillium 4A21 resulted in sarcosine and aminomethylphosphonic acid.

Resumo Resíduos de agrotóxicos que contaminam o meio ambiente circulam no ciclo hidrológico, podendo se acumular na cadeia alimentar e causar problemas tanto à saúde ambiental quanto humana. Por sua vez, microrganismos são bem conhecidos por sua versatilidade metabólica e capacidade de degradar substâncias quimicamente estáveis, incluindo xenobióticos recalcitrantes. O estudo atual se concentrou na bioprospecção nos solos da floresta amazônica para encontrar novas linhagens de fungos capazes de degradar com eficiência o herbicida onipresente na agricultura e no meio ambiente, o glifosato. Entre os 50 fungos isolados (usando meio de cultura suplementado com glifosato como única fonte de carbono), a maioria eram isolados do gênero Penicillium (60%) e os outros eram isolados de Aspergillus e Trichoderma (26 e 8%, respectivamente). Todos os 50 isolados de fungos foram capazes de usar glifosato como fonte de fósforo. Oito desses isolados cresceram melhor em meio suplementado com glifosato do que em meio Czapek Dox regular. LC-MS revelou que a degradação do glifosato por Penicillium 4A21 resultou nos metabólitos sarcosina e ácido aminometilfosfônico.

Amazonian soil fungi are efficient degraders of glyphosate herbicide; novel isolates of Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Trichoderma

Abstract Pesticide residues that contaminate the environment circulate within the hydrological cycle can accumulate within the food chain and cause problems to both environmental and human health. Microbes, however, are well known for their metabolic versatility and the ability to degrade chemically stable substances, including recalcitrant xenobiotics. The current study focused on bio-prospecting within Amazonian rainforest soils to find novel strains fungi capable of efficiently degrading the agriculturally and environmentally ubiquitous herbicide, glyphosate. Of 50 fungal strains isolated (using culture media supplemented with glyphosate as the sole carbon-substrate), the majority were Penicillium strains (60%) and the others were Aspergillus and Trichoderma strains (26 and 8%, respectively). All 50 fungal isolates could use glyphosate as a phosphorous source. Eight of these isolates grew better on glyphosate-supplemented media than on regular Czapek Dox medium. LC-MS revealed that glyphosate degradation by Penicillium 4A21 resulted in sarcosine and aminomethylphosphonic acid.

Resumo Resíduos de agrotóxicos que contaminam o meio ambiente circulam no ciclo hidrológico, podendo se acumular na cadeia alimentar e causar problemas tanto à saúde ambiental quanto humana. Por sua vez, microrganismos são bem conhecidos por sua versatilidade metabólica e capacidade de degradar substâncias quimicamente estáveis, incluindo xenobióticos recalcitrantes. O estudo atual se concentrou na bioprospecção nos solos da floresta amazônica para encontrar novas linhagens de fungos capazes de degradar com eficiência o herbicida onipresente na agricultura e no meio ambiente, o glifosato. Entre os 50 fungos isolados (usando meio de cultura suplementado com glifosato como única fonte de carbono), a maioria eram isolados do gênero Penicillium (60%) e os outros eram isolados de Aspergillus e Trichoderma (26 e 8%, respectivamente). Todos os 50 isolados de fungos foram capazes de usar glifosato como fonte de fósforo. Oito desses isolados cresceram melhor em meio suplementado com glifosato do que em meio Czapek Dox regular. LC-MS revelou que a degradação do glifosato por Penicillium 4A21 resultou nos metabólitos sarcosina e ácido aminometilfosfônico.

Moisture content monitoring in industrial-scale composting systems using low-cost sensor-based machine learning techniques.

Moisture is a key aspect for proper composting, allowing greater efficiency and lower environmental impact. Low-cost real-time moisture determination methods are still a challenge in industrial composting processes. The aim of this study was to design a model of hardware and software that would allow self-adjustment of a low-cost capacitive moisture sensor. Samples of organic composts with distinct waste composition and from different composting stages were used. Machine learning techniques were applied for self-adjustment of the sensor. To validate the model, results obtained in a laboratory by the gravimetric method were used. The proposed model proved to be efficient and reliable in measuring moisture in compost, reaching a correlation coefficient of 0.9939 between the moisture content verified by gravimetric analysis and the prediction obtained by the Sensor Node.

Toxicity and physicochemical parameters of composts including distinct residues from agribusiness and slaughterhouse sludge.

Composting is useful for treatment of residues from agribusiness, but the potential toxicity of the final compost should be evaluated before its agricultural destination. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics and the toxicity of agribusiness residues using onion seeds as bioindicators. All tested treatments were composed by sludge from a swine slaughterhouse and sawdust. Besides the control, which included no additional materials, the other treatments included aviary bedding, rice husk and residue from tobacco industries as structuring materials. After 120 days of composting, for all treatments, the temperature inside the composting piles approached the environmental temperature, the physicochemical parameters indicated that the composts were stabilized and, except for the treatment including tobacco residues, that could be used for agriculture without impairing plant germination. Although the treatments including tobacco residues and rice husk showed evidence of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity at the beginning of the composting period, that was not observed for the treatment including aviary bedding. Such potential toxicity was not observed at the end of composting for any of the tested treatments.

Effect of marker dosage frequency and spot fecal sampling frequency in the prediction accuracy of fecal output using chromic oxide and titanium dioxide in grazing BON steers.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of two marker dosage frequencies and two spot fecal sampling frequencies on the variability of fecal output estimation and fecal recovery rate in grazing Blanco Orejinegro (BON) steers with chromium (Cr) or titanium (Ti) as external markers. Four steers (230.5 ± 14.4 kg BW) were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design in a split-plot arrangement with two markers: Cr or Ti, two marker dosage frequencies: 10.0 g Cr2O3 or TiO2/steer once daily (DF1) or 5.0 g Cr2O3 or TiO2/steer twice daily (DF2), and two fecal sampling frequencies: spot sampling once daily (SF1) or spot sampling twice daily (SF2). Steers were equipped with fecal collection bags to evaluate the actual fecal output (FOR). Fecal marker concentration (FMC) was affected by marker dosage frequency × fecal sampling frequency interaction (P = 0.032): SF1DF1 allowed higher FMC (2.26 g/kg DM) than SF2DF1 (1.95 g/kg DM). Chromium marker allowed higher estimated fecal output (FOe) values when compared to FOR (P < 0.001). Both Ti mean and SD bias (+ 0.074 ± 0.160 kg) were lower than Cr mean and SD bias (+ 0.312 ± 0.272 kg). The Ti fecal output prediction showed lower both RSR (0.586 vs 1.401) and MSPE (0.029 vs 0.167) than Cr prediction. The titanium external marker allowed fecal output estimation with more accuracy in grazing beef cattle trials. A protocol including a once-daily marker dosage associated with a once-daily fecal sampling is plausible, allowing good fecal recovery rates and accurate fecal output estimation.

Amazonian soil fungi are efficient degraders of glyphosate herbicide; novel isolates of Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Trichoderma.

Pesticide residues that contaminate the environment circulate within the hydrological cycle can accumulate within the food chain and cause problems to both environmental and human health. Microbes, however, are well known for their metabolic versatility and the ability to degrade chemically stable substances, including recalcitrant xenobiotics. The current study focused on bio-prospecting within Amazonian rainforest soils to find novel strains fungi capable of efficiently degrading the agriculturally and environmentally ubiquitous herbicide, glyphosate. Of 50 fungal strains isolated (using culture media supplemented with glyphosate as the sole carbon-substrate), the majority were Penicillium strains (60%) and the others were Aspergillus and Trichoderma strains (26 and 8%, respectively). All 50 fungal isolates could use glyphosate as a phosphorous source. Eight of these isolates grew better on glyphosate-supplemented media than on regular Czapek Dox medium. LC-MS revealed that glyphosate degradation by Penicillium 4A21 resulted in sarcosine and aminomethylphosphonic acid.

Effects of canola oil and antioxidants on performance, serum parameters, carcass traits, and rumen fermentation patterns of Nellore cattle.

Several nutritional strategies have been used in beef cattle production in order to increase animal performance and profitability. However, in the past two decades, the increase of consumer preference for functional foods has driven the investigation for improving food via adding functional substances to animal diets. We evaluated the effect of canola oil supplementation associated with vitamin E and selenium on performance, rumen metabolism, carcass traits, meat tenderness, and serum, liver, and meat status of antioxidants in finishing Nellore males. Animals were fed for 106 days in a feedlot and were randomly distributed in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement: two levels of oil in the diet (no inclusion and 3% canola oil, defined as diet without oil inclusion (NO) and effect of oil (OIL), respectively) and two levels of antioxidants in the diet (no inclusion and 2.5 mg of Se/kg of DM + 500 UI of vitamin E/kg of DM, defined as diet without antioxidant inclusion (NA) and effect of the antioxidants (ANT), respectively). DM intake (kg/day) was evaluated daily; performance and serum were analysed at the beginning of the feedlot and every 28 days. Animals were slaughtered and hot carcass weight (kg) was recorded; ruminal fluid and liver samples were collected. At 24 h postmortem, carcass pH was recorded and the Longissimus thoracis was sampled. There was no significant effect of the OIL*ANT interaction (P > 0.05) for any trait evaluated. Bulls fed OIL presented greater final BW (P < 0.01), average daily gain (kg/day; P < 0.01), feed efficiency (P < 0.01), rump fat thickness (P8RF; P < 0.05), and greater tenderness; the ANT diet increased P8RF (P < 0.05). The levels of selenium and vitamin E in serum, liver, and meat were increased (P < 0.01) with the inclusion of ANT. ANT did not change triiodothyronine (T3, ng/mL) and thyroxine (T4, µg/gL) serum concentrations but decreased serum glucose levels. The treatments did not affect (P > 0.05) ruminal parameters or the protozoa population. Our results showed that the inclusion of 3% canola oil in the diet DM increased performance, feed efficiency, carcass fat deposition, and tenderness, with no effect on rumen fermentation and protozoa population of Nellore cattle in a feedlot system. The inclusion of ANT in the cattle diet did not affect performance or rumen parameters. However, the levels of ANT were increased in the serum, liver, and meat, enriching the final product with these compounds.

Isolation of Moraxella spp. from horses with conjunctivitis in Southern Brazil.

Infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) is the most frequent ocular disease in livestock worldwide and is primarily caused by Moraxella bovis, M. ovis, and/or M. bovoculi. The economic impact of IKC is mainly due to ocular damage, which leads to weight loss, management difficulties, pain and discomfort, and cost of treatments. In horses, limited information is available on the association of Moraxella spp. with keratoconjunctivitis. The present report describes two cases of equine keratoconjunctivitis caused by members of the genus Moraxella. Both animals presented with lacrimation, conjunctivitis, photophobia, mucoid or purulent secretions, blepharitis, and conjunctival hyperemia. The diagnosis of IKC was based on the epidemiological and clinical findings; the etiological agent was identified through bacteriological (culture and biochemistry assays) and molecular testing (PCR and nucleotide sequencing). Our study reports the isolation of Moraxella bovoculi (SBP 88/19) and a putative new species/mutant of Moraxella (SBP 39/19) recovered from ocular secretions in horses. Thus, we suggest the inclusion of Moraxella spp. infection in the differential diagnosis of conjunctivitis in horses in Southern Brazil.

Clave I de la oclusión según los criterios de Andrews y los trastornos temporomandibulares

Introducción:El estudio de la oclusión y su papel en la etiología de los trastornos temporomandibulares ha sido un tema controvertido y de interés en el campo estomatológico.Objetivo:Determinar la relación entre la oclusión, según clave I de los criterios de Andrews y los trastornos temporomandibulares.Método:Se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo, de corte transversal a estudiantes de la carrera de Estomatología en la Clínica Estomatológica Docente Provincial de la ciudad de Sancti-Spíritus, en el periodo comprendido de septiembre de 2018 a septiembre de 2019. El universo fue de 42, la muestra aleatoria simple fue conformada por 40 estudiantes, los que respondían a los criterios de inclusión. Las variables de estudio fueron: presencia de trastorno temporomandibular, relación de molares, de caninos y coincidencia de las líneas media. Se utilizaron métodos del nivel teórico, empírico, estadísticos y matemáticos.Resultados:El 52,5 Porciento de los pacientes presentó trastornos temporomandibulares, de los cuales, la relación de molares era bilateral en el 80 Porciento. Con respecto a la relación de caninos, todos los afectados presentaron relación de mesio, disto o combinación de ellas. La mayoría de los no afectados (89,5 Porciento) tenía coincidencia de las líneas media.Conclusiones:Se constata que cualquier alteración en la oclusión dentaria según los criterios de Andrews tendrán consecuencias en el sistema estomatognático y, por tanto, en la aparición de los trastornos temporomandibulares.[AU]

Saliva in the Diagnosis of COVID-19: A Review and New Research Directions.

This review presents literature that highlights saliva's utility as a biofluid in the diagnosis and monitoring of COVID-19. A systematic search was performed in 5 electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, LILACS, Scopus, and Web of Science). Studies were eligible for inclusion if they assessed the potential diagnostic value and/or other discriminatory properties of biological markers in the saliva of patients with COVID-19. As of July 22, 2020, a total of 28 studies have investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in saliva. Several of those studies confirmed reliable detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the saliva of patients with COVID-19. Saliva offered sensitivity and specificity for SARS-CoV-2 detection comparable to that of the current standard of nasopharyngeal and throat swabs. However, the utility of saliva in diagnosing COVID-19 infection remains understudied. Clinical studies with larger patient populations that measure recordings at different stages during the disease are still necessary to confirm the accuracy of COVID-19 diagnosis with saliva. Nevertheless, the utility of saliva as a diagnostic tool opens the possibility of using rapid and less invasive diagnostic strategies by targeting bioanalytes rather than the pathogen.

Mycosis Fungoides in Children and Adolescents: A Series of 23 Cases. / Micosis fungoide en niños y adolescentes: descripción de una serie de 23 casos.

BACKGROUND: Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma in adults and children. The prevalence has increased in some countries, but no descriptive studies of MF in the pediatric population have been done in Colombia to date. METHODS: A combined prospective-retrospective study of 128 patients with a diagnosis of MF confirmed by the dermatology department and dermatopathology laboratory of Universidad de Antioquia between 2008 and 2017. We describe the clinical and histopathologic variants, response to treatment, and progression of the disease in 23 patients under 18 years of age. RESULTS: The pediatric cases of MF accounted for 18% of all the cases on record. The median age of onset of lesions was 9 years, the median age at diagnosis was 11 years, and the median time between onset of lesions and diagnosis was 2 years. All patients were in early stages of the disease. Hypopigmented MF was the most common clinical presentation (in 52.2%), followed by classical MF (in 30.4%). Folliculotropic MF was identified in 17.4%. All patients were treated with topical corticosteroids and phototherapy. One patient received chemotherapy while still in the early stage of disease. Complete remission was achieved in 59.1% and a partial response in 40.9%. Only 2 patients remained asymptomatic for 5 years. CONCLUSION: We found hypopigmented MF to be the most common clinical presentation in patients under 18 years of age. The disease did not progress to advanced stages in any of the patients, although recurrence after treatment interruption was common.

Dermo-epidermal organotypic cultures for in vitro evaluation of skin irritation and corrosion.

In recent years, in-vitro skin models for chemical hazard identification have been developed. Most of them consist only of human keratinocytes, neglecting the contribution of other skin constituents. Cultures containing the dermal and epidermal component provide an attractive system to investigate, in a more realistic model, toxicological responses, which represents a distinct advantage over keratinocytes-based models that do not mimic faithfully the in vivo environment. This study aimed to validate dermo-epidermal organotypic cultures (ORGs) as a platform to perform irritation and corrosion tests. Skin models were constructed by seeding keratinocytes on fibroblast-containing fibrin gels. After 21 days, the ORGs were evaluated histologically, and the irritant and corrosion potential was determined by means of viability measurements (MTT assay) and cytokine release, according to 431 and 439 OECD tests guidelines. Skin models showed similar histological characteristics to native skin and were able to classify different substances with high accuracy, showing their applicability to skin irritation and corrosion tests. Although cytokines release seems to be chemical-dependent, a tendency was observed, leading to the improvement of the prediction capacity. Nevertheless, further studies should be done to reduce variability in order to increase prediction capacity.

Community of Monogenea in Populations of Cichla Monoculus from Two Tributaries of the Amazon River in the Northern Brazil.

This study compared the monogeneans community in C. monoculus from the Tapajós River (state of Pará) and Jari River (state of Amapá), northern Brazil. A total of 2188 monogeneans belonging to eight taxa were collected from the gills of fish: Gussevia arilla, Gussevia longihaptor, Gussevia tucunarense, Gussevia undulata, Sciadicleithrum ergensi, Sciadicleithrum umbilicum, Sciadicleithrum uncinatum and Tucunarella cichlae. Gussevia arilla was the dominant species for C. monoculus from the Tapajós River basin, while S. umbilicum predominated among the hosts from the Jari River basin. For the two populations of C. monoculus, the prevalence, mean intensity and mean abundance of monogeneans were different and the of parasites community had a high qualitative similarity (87.5 %). The monogeneans community of C. monoculus was characterized by high species richness, with infection values varying from low to moderate. The geographic distance and differences in environmental characteristics arising from the same did not influence the richness of species of monogeneans infesting C. monoculus in the Tapajós and Jari rivers, but appear to have been determinants in the differences observed in the structure of the monogenean communities in each region.