C. Ducati, M.A. Neres, D.D. Castagnara, P.S.R. Oliveira, D. Weirich, G.M. Silva, and S.M.M. Sunahara. 2015. Forage potential of oat Iapar 61 alone or in association with birdsfoot trefoil. Cien. Inv. Agr. 42(3): 341-351. The objective of this study was to evaluate the structural characteristics, dry matter production, residual mass, chemical composition and in vitro dry matter digestibility of Iapar 61 black oat (Avena strigosa cv Iapar 61) pasture, both in isolation and in association with birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L., cv. St. Gabriel), under different forms of management in three growth cycles. A randomized block design was used with split plots in time with four treatments: conventional tillage oats, oat tillage, oats associated with birdsfoot trefoil and single birdsfoot trefoil, with three periods of evaluation and four replications. The apical meristem of oats increased from the first to the second cycle. The dry matter production of single birdsfoot trefoil was 579.65 kg on average, and the oats tillage production was 2597.78 kg. Oats exhibited high nutritional value before the first grazing in all treatments; however, at the end of its cycle, the association with birdsfoot significantly increased the crude protein content of the forage. The in vitro dry matter digestibility was similar between crops and decreased in the third cycle. Birdsfoot increased the nutritional value of oats at the end of the oat life cycle.

C. Ducati, M.A. Neres, D.D. Castagnara, P.S.R. Oliveira, D. Weirich, G.M. Silva y S.M.M. Sunahara. 2015. Potencial forrajero de avena Iapar 61 solo o en combinación con la lotera. Cien. Inv. Agr. 42(3): 341-351. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar las características estructurales, la producción de materia seca, masa residual, composición química y digestibilidad de la materia seca in vitro de la avena negra (Avena strigosa) Iapar 61, sola y en asociación con la lotera (Lotus corniculatus L., cv. San Gabriel), bajo diferentes formas de manejo, en tres ciclos de crecimiento. El diseño experimental fue de bloques al azar con parcelas divididas en el tiempo, con tres tratamientos: avena con siembra convencional, avena con siembra directa, avena asociado con la lotera con tres periodos de evaluación y cuatro repeticiones. El meristema apical de la avena fue incrementándose desde la primera hasta el segundo ciclo. La producción de materia seca de la lotera sola fue baja en todos los períodos con una media de 579,65 g kg-1, mientras que la producción de avena sola con siembra convencional fue de 2.597 kg ha-1. La avena reveló un alto valor nutricional antes del primer pastoreo en todos los tratamientos; sin embargo, al final de su ciclo, la asociación con lotera contribuyó a elevar el contenido de proteína cruda del forraje, debido a que ésta es la etapa final de su ciclo. La digestibilidad de la materia seca in vitro fue similar entre los cultivos evaluados con una disminución en el tercer ciclo. La asociación promovió mejora el valor nutricional de la avena asociados con lotera al final del ciclo de la avena.

PURPOSE: The determination of prognosis in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is based, classically, on stage and histopathological aspects. The metastatic disease develops in one third of patients after surgery, even in localized tumors. There are few options for treating those patients, and even the new target designed drugs have shown low rates of success in controlling disease progression. Few studies used high throughput genomic analysis in renal cell carcinoma for determination of prognosis. This study is focused on the identification of gene expression signatures in tissues of low-risk, high-risk and metastatic RCC clear cell type (RCC-CCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the expression of approximately 55,000 distinct transcripts using the Whole Genome microarray platform hybridized with RNA extracted from 19 patients submitted to surgery to treat RCC-CCT with different clinical outcomes. They were divided into three groups (1) low risk, characterized by pT1, Fuhrman grade 1 or 2, no microvascular invasion RCC; (2) high risk, pT2-3, Fuhrman grade 3 or 4 with, necrosis and microvascular invasion present and (3) metastatic RCC-CCT. Normal renal tissue was used as control. RESULTS: After comparison of differentially expressed genes among low-risk, high-risk and metastatic groups, we identified a group of common genes characterizing metastatic disease. Among them Interleukin-8 and Heat shock protein 70 were over-expressed in metastasis and validated by real-time polymerase chain reaction. CONCLUSION: These findings can be used as a starting point to generate molecular markers of RCC-CCT as well as a target for the development of innovative therapies.

A deficiência combinada de 17 alfa-hidroxilase/17,20 liase é uma doença rara, de herança autossômica recessiva, causa de hiperplasia adrenal congênita caracterizada pela presença de hipertensão resultante do acúmulo de precursores mineralocorticóides, distúrbio da diferenciação sexual em homens e infantilismo sexual em mulheres devido à falha na produção de esteróides sexuais. Várias mutações no gene CYP17 resultando em deficiência de 17 alfa-hidroxilase/17,20-liase têm sido descritas. No presente estudo, descrevemos uma nova mutação no CYP17 em duas irmãs, nascidas de pais consangüíneos, com quadro de amenorréia primária, cariótipo 46,XY, dosagens basais elevadas de progesterona (3,4-4,9 ng/mL) e hipertensão hipocalêmica. Após PCR e seqüenciamento automático da região codificadora do CYP17, uma duplicação de 25 pb no exon 5 foi identificada nas pacientes. Esta duplicação inicia-se no códon 318 resultando em parada prematura de leitura no códon 320 gerando uma proteína truncada e inativa conforme predito pela modelagem molecular do P450c17. Com este achado, ampliamos o repertório de mutações do CYP17 descrevendo a maior duplicação descrita até então neste gene em duas irmãs com fenótipo de deficiência combinada de 17 alfa-hidroxilase/17,20-liase e enfatizamos a importância da modelagem molecular do P450c 17 em predizer o efeito funcional destas mutações.

Combined 17alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency is a rare, autosomal recessive form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia characterized by the coexistence of hypertension, caused by the hyperproduction of mineralocorticoid precursors and DSD in males and sexual infantilism in females, due to impaired production of sex hormones. Several CYP17 mutations resulting in 17alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency have been reported previously. In the present study, we described a novel CYP17 mutation in two Brazilian sisters with primary amenorrhea, 46,XY karyotype, high basal levels of progesterone (3.4-4.9 ng/mL) and hypokalemic hypertension born to consanguineous parents. After PCR and automatic sequencing of CYP17 coding region, 25 bp duplication at exon 5 was found in the patients. This duplication started at codon 318 resulting in a premature stop codon at position 320 resulting in an ineffective and truncated protein and in accordance with the molecular modeling of P450c17. Therefore we expanded the repertoire of CYP17 mutations describing the largest duplication found in this gene in both sisters, with a clinical phenotype of combined 17alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency and emphasizes the importance of the P450c 17 molecular modeling to predict the functional effect of these mutations.

Nectários extraflorais (NEFs) são glândulas de néctar não relacionadas com o processo de polinização da planta e que podem ocorrer virtualmente em todas as estruturas vegetativas e reprodutivas de angiospermas. Estudos recentes revelaram que NEFs ocorrem em diversas espécies de arbustos e árvores dos cerrados brasileiros. Plantas portadores destas glândulas são visitadas de dia e de noite por diversas espécies de formigas nectarívoras do cerrado. Nesta revisão apresentamos os dados obtidos nos últimos 15 anos sobre a interação entre formigas e plantas com NEFs em vegetação de cerrado. Estudos experimentais no campo indicam que as formigas visitantes de NEFs podem predar ou injuriar insetos herbívoros que encontram sobre as plantas, reduzindo significativamente as taxas de herbivoria sobre as folhas, botões ou flores. Em resposta, algumas espécies de herbívoros desenvolveram vários mecanismos para evitar o ataque das formigas sobre suas plantas hospedeiras. Os benefícios oferecidos às plantas pelas formigas visitantes, entretanto, podem variar com a agressividade da espécie de formiga, com as estratégias defensivas apresentadas pelos insetos herbívoros, bem como com a espécie de planta. Os resultados obtidos para diferentes espécies de plantas de cerrado são discutidos, indicando áreas promissoras para estudos experimentais futuros.

Extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) are nectar-secreting glands not directly involved with pollination which may occur on virtually all above-ground plant parts of angiosperms. Recent studies revealed that such glands are widely distributed amongst the woody flora of the Brazilian cerrados. Plants bearing EFNs are visited day and night by a diverse assemblage of nectarivorous ants. In this review we present the data gathered during the past 15 years on the interaction between ants and EFN-bearing plants in cerrado vegetation. Field experiments indicate that ants visiting EFNs may prey or attack insect herbivores on the plant foliage, significantly reducing herbivore damage to leaves, buds or flowers. As a response, some herbivore species have developed an array of mechanisms to circumvent the ants' deterring capacities on their host plants. Ant-derived benefits to plants, however, may vary with the species of visiting ant, with the defensive tactics of the associated herbivores, as well as with the plant species. We discuss the results obtained for different cerrado plant species, and suggest some promising topics for future experimental investigation.