DNA damage in an estuarine fish inhabiting the vicinity of a major Brazilian port.

The Itaqui Port Complex (northeastern Brazil) is one of the largest Brazilian port facilities, whose effluents and waste are dumped directly into the estuarine waters. Although environmental monitoring has been a concern around this site, there has been no toxicogenetics study on organisms living in this environment. Thus, we assessed the toxicogenetics potential of the estuarine waters surrounding Itaqui, using the native catfish Sciades herzbergii as a biomonitor. We found a significantly higher frequency of genetic damage and mutations in the animals collected near to Itaqui in both seasons compared to the reference site (distant from Itaqui with no port activities). We also quantified chemical elements in the surface water and sediments near the port and found that clorine, phosphorus, zinc, and boron were above the limits set by the Brazilian legislation. We suggest that such contaminants are involved in the origin of DNA damage. Moreover, we recommend including toxicogenetics assays in the environmental monitoring of pollutants, as well as in the definition of their allowable limits, as they could be used as law enforcement tools and help to predict large-scale contamination events associated with port activities.

Cryptic speciation in populations of the genus Aphyocharax (Characiformes: Characidae) from eastern Amazon coastal river drainages and surroundings revealed by single locus species delimitation methods

Recent studies in eastern Amazon coastal drainages and their surroundings have revealed new fish species that sometimes exhibit little morphological differentiation (cryptic species). Thus, we used a DNA-based species delimitation approach to test if populations showing the morphotype and typical character states of the Aphyocharax avary holotype correspond either to A. avary or A. brevicaudatus, two known species from the region, or if they form independent lineages, indicating cryptic speciation. WP and GMYC analyses recovered five lineages (species) in the ingroup, while a bPTP analysis delimited three lineages. ABGD analyses produced two possible results: one corroborating the WP and GMYC methods and another corroborating the bPTP method. All methods indicate undescribed cryptic species in the region and show variation from at least 1 to 4 species in the ingroup, depending on the approach, corroborating previous studies, and revealing this region as a possible hotspot for discovering undescribed fish species.(AU)

Estudos recentes nas drenagens costeiras da Amazônia oriental e seus arredores revelaram novas espécies de peixes que às vezes exibem pouca diferenciação morfológica (espécies crípticas). Assim, usamos uma abordagem de delimitação de espécies baseada em DNA para testar se as populações que apresentam o morfotipo e os estados de caráter típicos do holótipo Aphyocharax avary correspondem a A. avary ou A. brevicaudatus, duas espécies conhecidas da região, ou se formam linhagens independentes, indicando especiação críptica. As análises de WP e GMYC recuperaram cinco linhagens (espécies) no grupo interno, enquanto uma análise de bPTP delimitou três linhagens. As análises ABGD produziram dois resultados possíveis: um corroborando os métodos WP e GMYC e outro corroborando o método bPTP. Todos os métodos indicam espécies crípticas não descritas na região e apresentam variação de pelo menos uma a quatro espécies no grupo interno, dependendo da abordagem, corroborando estudos anteriores, e revelando esta região como um possível "hotspot" para descoberta de espécies de peixes não descritas.(AU)

LICAVAL: combination therapy in acute and maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: The challenge of Bipolar Disorder (BD) treatment is due to the complexity of the disease. Current guidelines represent an effort to help clinicians in their everyday practice but still have limitations, specially concerning to long term treatment. LICAVAL (efficacy and tolerability of the combination of LIthium and CArbamazepine compared to lithium and VALproic acid in the treatment of young bipolar patients) study aim to evaluate acute and maintenance phase of BD treatment with two combined drugs. METHODS: LICAVAL is a single site, parallel group, randomized, outcome assessor blinded trial. BD I patients according to the DSM-IV-TR, in depressive, manic,/hypomanic or mixed episode, aged 18 to 35 years are eligible. After the diagnostic assessments, the patients are allocated for one of the groups of treatment (lithium + valproic acid or lithium + carbamazepine). Patients will be followed up for 8 weeks in phase I (acute treatment), 6 months in phase II (continuation treatment) and 12 months in phase III (maintenance treatment). Outcome assessors are blind to the treatment. The main outcome is the evaluation of changes in mean scores on CGI-BP-M between baseline and endpoint at the end of each phase of the study. RESULTS: LICAVAL is currently in progress, with patients in phase I, II or III. It will extended until august 2012. CONCLUSIONS: Trials comparing specific treatments efficacy in BD (head to head) can show relevant information in clinical practice. Long term treatment is an issue of great important and should be evaluated carefully in more studies as long as BD is a chronic disease. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00976794.

Evidence of lack of population substructuring in the Brazilian freshwater fish Prochilodus costatus

Curimbatá-pióa (Prochilodus costatus Valenciennes, 1850) is an endemic species from the São Francisco River Basin with migratory habits, important ecological role in the ecosystem and relevant fishing importance. The present study aimed to assess the genetic variation in P. costatus in order to investigate its population genetic structure. Genetic variation was studied at three sites downstream the Três Marias dam (Upper-middle São Francisco River, State of Minas Gerais) through six specific microsatellite loci. Fish from the three sites had quite similar genetic diversity levels and no genetic differentiation was detected, suggesting that P. costatus might represent a single reproductive unit in the studied area. Alternatively, the present study was not able to detect putative coexistent and comigrating populations along the main channel river. Our findings could be very helpful for the management and conservation of this fish.

Pitiriasis versicolor en lactantes / Pityriasis versicolor in infants

La pitiriasis versicolor es una dermatomicosis recurrente de la capa córnea de la piel, causada por la levadura lipofílica, Malassezia furfur (M.furfur). Se manifiesta con máculas descamantes localizadas fundamentalmente a nivel de cara posterior de tronco y cuello, más o menos extensas, frecuentemente confluentes, con hipopigmentación o hiperpigmentación y descamación furfurácea característica. M.furfur forma parte de la flora normal de la piel en la mayor parte de los individuos. La pitiriasis versicolor presenta mayor incidencia entrer los 18 y 24 años siendo rara en lactantes; por esta razón presentamos dos casos clínicos en lactantes, estudiados en la Sección Micología del Departamento de Parasitología de la Facultad de Medicina de Montevideo-Uruguay, discutiendo posibles factores favorecedores y comentando la bibliografía revisada

Paludismo de forma encefálica, en donde se realizó exanguinotransfusión / Report of a case of encephalic-type malaria undergoing exanguinotransfusion

Se presenta el caso de una forma aguda de paludismo severo por P. falciparum con una parasitemia muy elevada (30 por ciento), en un paciente procedente de Indonesia y Nueva Guinea, que no estaba recibiendo quimioprofilaxis. Se presentó con fiebre, desorientación y anemia haciéndose diagnóstico de neuropaludismo; requiriendo internación en unidad de cuidados intensivos (UCI). En la evolución presentó coma, fallo renal, edema pulmonar y plaquetopenia. Se medicó con clorhidrato de quinina y tetraciclina, realizándose exanguinotransfusión con la que se obtuvo franca y rápida mejoría del cuadro neurológico así como otros compromisos parenquimatosos

Triatoma rubrovaria (Hemiptera, Triatominae) y su papel como vector secundario del ciclo domiciliario de Trypanosoma cruzi en Uruguay / Triatoma rubrovaria (Hemiptera, Triatominae) and its role as a secondary vector of the house holdcycle of Trypanosoma cruzi in Uruguay

Triatoma rubrovaria, Blanchard 1843 (Hemiptera, Triatominae) es el vector integrante del ciclo enzoótico de Trypanosoma cruzi en Uruguay. De hábitat rupestre, su área de dispersión abarca además zonas de Argentina y sur de Brasil. En el presente trabajo se ilustra mediante observaciones de campo y laboratorio su capacidad de colonización del intradomicilio y de constituírse en vector secundario de sustitución en la vivienda humana. Son examinados 280 ejemplares de T. rubroviaria provenientes de captura peri e intradomiciliar realizada en 22 localidades de dos departamentos de Uruguay: Artigas (20 localidades) y Durazno (2 localidades). La demostración de colonización intradomiciliaria, en cinco viviendas de localidades artiguenses y en 2 casas de las de Durazno, la alimentación hemática sobre hospedero humano en 26 por ciento de los insectos (demostrada en ejemplares de origen peri e intradomiciliario) se suman a 15 por ciento de insectos infectados por T. cruzi para perfilar el considerable papel que Triatoma rubrovaria puede alcanzar como vector alternativo al ciclo doméstico de la tripanosomiasis

La enfermedad de Chagas y la transmisión de Trypanosoma cruzi en una localidad rural de Tacuarembó / Chagas disease and the transmission of Trypanosoma Cruzi at a rural site in Tacuarembó

Tratando de estudiar las características de la transmisión vectorial de Trypanosoma cruzi se cumple un relevamiento que contempla aspectos entomológicos, sociales, seroepidemiológicos y clínicos de la Enfermedad de Chagas en una localidad rural del departamento de Tacuarembó, Cuchilla de Laureles. Se establece que tal localidad constituye un área de hiperendemia y se tipifican características de un sistema socio-ecológico de baja productividad que incluye parte de los pobladores de la zona y ofrece sustrato adecuado a la transmisión. Mediante lucha química y participación comunitaria se logra un descenso de los indicadores entomológicos de transmisión