Attraction of the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis to possible biomarker compounds from dogs infected with Leishmania infantum.

Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) is the primary vector of Leishmania infantum (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in the Americas. Studies have been carried out to identify new alternatives for monitoring and controlling this sandfly species, particularly with the use of chemical baits. The attractiveness of odours emitted by foxes and alcohols found in some plants has already been demonstrated in laboratory tests with Lu. longipalpis. However, no studies have evaluated the responses of these insects to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by dogs. The present study was carried out to investigate the effects on Lu. longipalpis of individual and blends of VOCs identified in hair from dogs infected with L. infantum. Effects in male and female Lu. longipalpis were assessed using wind tunnel methodology. Individual compounds including octanal, nonanal, decanal and heptadecane showed capacity for activating and/or attracting male Lu. longipalpis. Only decanal and nonanal showed effects on females. The combination of octanal, decanal and heptadecane increased activation and attraction behaviour in male sandflies, as did the blend of octanal and decanal. These findings indicate that VOCs emitted by dogs may be an interesting source of new attractants of sandflies.

The wide diversity of structurally similar wine proteins.

In the present work, single grape variety wines, Moscatel and Arinto, were used. Analysis by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the wine proteins revealed the presence of only a few polypeptides ranging in molecular mass from 15 to 30 kDa. However, a more detailed examination of the whole protein fraction, by a combination of techniques, showed that these wines contain a very large number (many tens and, possibly, many more) of distinct polypeptides, exhibiting similar molecular masses but different electrical charges. The results obtained using highly specific antibodies and N-terminal sequencing indicate that there is structural similarity among most of the wine polypeptides. These observations can be explained by the existence of a common precursor to most or all of the wine proteins, which could generate all of the detected polypeptides by limited proteolysis. Comparison of the N-terminal sequences of the polypeptides isolated from Moscatel wine with proteins from other sources revealed a high degree of homology to pathogenesis-related proteins.

Gemeos thoracopagus. / Thoracopagus conjoined twins

A gemelidade imperfeita, conhecida pelos leigos como "Gemeos Siameses", e estimada entre 1/50.000 a 1/100.000 de nascimentos e, aproximadamente, 1/600 gemeos vivem. Embora o diagnostico seja frequentemente omitido ate por procedimentos laboratoriais, os gemeos imperfeitos sao, ocasionalmente, diagnosticados antes do nascimento com base nos criterios radiologicos, ultra-sonograficos e, ate mesmo, por fotografia. O objetivo deste trabalho e apresentar um tipo raro de Gemeos Siameses e discutir a historia, incidencia, embriogenese, etiologia, classificacao e modalidade de diagnostico