Abstract Mytilopsis leucophaeata is an estuarine bivalve native from the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast USA, and it was introduced in Europe, Asia, Caribbean, South America and Northeast USA, showing massive colonization skills. In Brazil, the single invasion records of M. leucophaeata occur in the city of Rio de Janeiro, i.e., in the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon and in the Marapendi Lagoon. We conducted a new series of fieldworks in estuaries from the Rio de Janeiro state in order to evaluate the propagation of this invasive bivalve, aiming sites with proper salinities for the establishment of M. leucophaeata. A new record is given for the Maricá-Guarapina lagoon system, where M. leucophaeata mainly colonizes hard substrata (such as piers and rocks), reaching a mean density up to 43,375 specimens/m2; however, aggregates of M. leucophaeata were also observed in the soft substratum. Based on mitochondrial sequences, the taxonomic identification of the invasive bivalve was confirmed. The associated fauna to the agglomerates of M. leucophaeata in the lagoon system comprises amphipods, barnacles, tanaidaceans, isopods, crabs, polychaetes and snails. The expansion of M. leucophaeata requires a continuous investigation due to the great circulation of boats in the littoral of the Rio de Janeiro state and the increased chance of new introductions.

Resumo Mytilopsis leucophaeata é um bivalve estuarino originário do Golfo do México e Sudeste dos EUA, tendo sido introduzido na Europa, Ásia, Caribe, América do Sul e Nordeste dos EUA, e apresentando massiva capacidade de colonização. No Brasil, os únicos registros de invasão de M. leucophaeata ocorrem no município do Rio de Janeiro, i.e., na Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas e na Lagoa de Marapendi. Este estudo propõe um novo levantamento de campo em estuários fluminenses para avaliar a propagação desse bivalve invasor, visando locais com salinidade propícia para o estabelecimento de M. leucophaeata. Um novo registro é feito para o complexo lagunar Maricá-Guarapina, onde M. leucophaeata coloniza principalmente substratos duros (como píers e rochas), chegando a uma densidade média de 43.375 indíviduos/m2; porém, agregados de M. leucophaeata também foram observados em substrato inconsolidado. Com base em sequências mitocondriais, a identificação taxonômica do bivalve invasor foi confirmada. A fauna associada aos aglomerados de M. leucophaeata no complexo lagunar compreende anfípodes, cracas, tanaidáceos, isópodes, caranguejos, poliquetas e gastrópodes. A expansão de M. leucophaeata demanda uma investigação contínua devido ao alto fluxo de embarcações no litoral fluminense e elevada probabilidade de novas introduções.

Abstract The invasion record for the estuarine bivalve Mytilopsis leucophaeata in Brazil is in Rio de Janeiro city, including the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, where high densities of this invader were registered. This work aimed to (1) assess the composition and structure of the benthic macrofauna associated with this invader in Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, (2) analyze the spatiotemporal variation of richness, density and diversity of the associated benthic community, and (3) correlate changes on the density of the associated benthic species with some water quality variables and the density of M. leucophaeata. Clusters of M. leucophaeata were collected monthly (two years) in four sites. Nine taxa associated with M. leucophaeata were found; Heleobia sp. (Gastropoda) and Melita mangrovi (Amphipoda) showed the highest densities. The structure of the benthic macrofauna slightly differed among sampling sites, but not between dry and wet seasons. The water quality parameters, specific patterns of each taxon and high densities of M. leucophaeata contribute to variations in density of the associated species. Oscillations in the densities of M. leucophaeata and the native bivalve Brachidontes darwinianus suggest some agonistic relationship between them, such as a competition for space.

Abstract An extensive field survey was conducted to evaluate the spreading of the invasive estuarine bivalve Mytilopsis leucophaeata into the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), in which the single invaded site so far recorded is Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. A novel record is made to the Marapendi coastal lagoon, where M. leucophaeata mainly colonizes mangrove roots. A reef composed of druses above the unconsolidated substratum is recorded for the first time for this species. The fauna associated to agglomerates of M. leucophaeata was composed of eight taxa: polychaetes Alitta succinea and Polydora sp., amphipods Melita mangrovi and Elasmopus sp., barnacles Amphibalanus eburneus and A. improvisus, the crab Eurypanopeus cf. dissimilis and the gastropod Heleobia spp. Based on COI sequences, the haplotype diversity of M. leucophaeata invasion in Marapendi Lagoon is high, like that previously recorded in Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. The expansion of M. leucophaeata demands a continuous investigation, including the knowledge of its impacts on the biota.

Introduction: The nutritional and metabolic status have been related to cancer risk factors as well as to cancer treatment morbimortality. Thus, its assessment is important for developing strategies for the promotion, maintenance and / or recovery of nutritional status and cancer outcome. Material and methods: Several different methods for nutritional assessment in breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant therapy were used, including subjective global assessment (SGA), body mass index (BMI), triceps skinfold (TSF), mid-arm circumference (MAC), adductor pollicis muscle thickness (APMT), hand grip strength (HGS) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). The presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) was also evaluated. The occurrence of complications during cancer treatment versus the nutritional status was assessed. Results: We followed 78 women with a mean age of 53.2 ± 11.6 years. Most patients were considered well nourished (80.8%). Excessive body fat mass by BIA and MetS were found in 80,8 % and 41.9% of the patients respectively. There were significant differences in BMI, TSF, WC (waist circumference) and % fat mass between patients with and without MetS. Most patients experienced complications during cancer treatment, but there was no association with nutritional or metabolic status. Conclusion: In breast cancer women undergoing adjuvant therapy, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was high and, on the contrary, undernutrition was low. There were no short-term effects of metabolic syndrome or undernutrition on clinical outcomes.

Introducción: El estado nutricional y metabólico se han relacionado con factores de riesgo del cáncer, así como la morbimortalidad del tratamiento del cáncer. Por lo tanto, su evaluación es importante para el desarrollo de estrategias para la promoción, mantenimiento y/o recuperación del estado nutricional y la evolución del cáncer. Material y métodos: Se utilizaron varios métodos diferentes para la evaluación nutricional en pacientes con cáncer de mama sometidas a terapia adyuvante, incluyendo la valoración subjetiva global (SGA), el índice de masa corporal (IMC), pliegue tricipital (PT), la circunferencia del brazo (CB), del espesor del músculo aductor del pulgar (TAPM), la fuerza de prensión manual (FPM) y el porcentaje de masa grasa (PMG) mediante impedancia bioeléctrica. También se evaluó la presencia del síndrome metabólico (SM). Se evaluó la aparición de complicaciones durante el tratamiento del cáncer en comparación con el estado nutricional. Resultados: Se siguieron a 78 mujeres con una edad media de 53,2 ± 11,6 años. La mayoría de los pacientes estaban bien nutridos (80,8 %). Excesiva PMG y los SM se encontraron en 80,8 % y 41,9 % de los pacientes, respectivamente. Hubo diferencias significativas en el IMC, PT, circunferencia de la cintura y la PMG entre los pacientes con y sin síndrome metabólico. La mayoría de los pacientes experimentaron complicaciones durante el tratamiento del cáncer, pero no hubo asociación con el estado nutricional o metabólico. Conclusión: En las mujeres con cáncer de mama que reciben terapia adyuvante, la prevalencia del síndrome metabólico fue alta y, por el contrario, la desnutrición era baja. No hubo efectos a corto plazo del síndrome metabólico o la desnutrición en los resultados clínicos.

Distúrbios neurológicos associados com anticorpos anti-GAD são doenças pleomórficas, raras, de causa incerta, das quais a rigidez muscular espasmódica (SPR) é a mais conhecida. Neste estudo, descrevemos nove casos consecutivos de distúrbios neurológicos associados com a presença de anticorpos anti-GAD, incluindo nove pacientes com SPR e três casos com ataxia cerebelar. Adicionalmente, foram encontrados quatro casos com hipotireoidismo, três com epilepsia, dois com diabetes mellitus e dois casos com mioclonia axial.

Neurological disorders associated with glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibodies are rare pleomorphic diseases of uncertain cause, of which stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is the best-known. Here, we described nine consecutive cases of neurological disorders associated with anti-GAD, including nine patients with SPS and three cases with cerebellar ataxia. Additionally, four had hypothyroidism, three epilepsy, two diabetes mellitus and two axial myoclonus.

The taxonomy of the species of Metaxia Monterosato, 1884 from Brazil is revised. Previously to this study, only Metaxia excelsa Faber & Moolenbeek, 1991 was known to occur in this country, under its older name Metaxia exilis (C.B. Adams, 1850). The review of a large amount of shells in malacological collections in Brazil revealed the occurrence of three known additional species: Metaxia taeniolata (Dall, 1889); Metaxia rugulosa (C.B. Adams, 1850); Metaxia prompta Rolán & Fernández-Garcés, 2008, all previously reported from the southeast coast of the USA and/or the Caribbean region. Metaxia gongyloskymnus sp. nov., diagnosed by the globose protoconch with continuous axial ribs and microscopic spiral sculpture, is restricted to localities off the Southeastern Brazilian coast.

OBJETIVO: Apresentar as escalas de coma de maior relevância desenvolvidas nos últimos cinqüenta anos. MÉTODO: Foi realizado levantamento bibliográfico nos bancos de dados Medline e Scielo compreendendo o período de 1969 a 2009 de acordo com as palavras-chave: coma scales, coma, disorders of consciousness, coma score, levels of coma. RESULTADOS: Foram encontradas cinco escalas principais, em ordem cronológica: Escala de coma de Jouvet, Escala de coma de Moscou, Escala de coma de Glasgow (GCS), Escala de Bozza-Marrubini e Escala FOUR (Full Outline UnResponsiveness), além de outras com menor repercussão e raramente usadas fora do seu país de origem. DISCUSSÃO: Das cinco escalas principais, a GCS é, de longe, a mais usada. É de fácil aplicabilidade e bastante adequada para situações de trauma crânio encefálico (TCE), porém, apresenta falhas, como a impossibilidade de se testar o componente verbal em pacientes intubados, entre outras. A escala de Jouvet é bastante sensível, especialmente para níveis de consciência mais próximos do normal, no entanto, é de difícil execução. A escala de Moscou apresenta um bom valor preditivo, porém, é pouco usada pela comunidade médica. A escala FOUR é de fácil aplicação e fornece mais detalhes neurológicos se comparada à GCS.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the most important coma scales developed in the last fifty years. METHOD: A review of the literature between 1969 and 2009 in the Medline and Scielo databases was carried out using the following keywords: coma scales, coma, disorders of consciousness, coma score and levels of coma. RESULTS: Five main scales were found in chronological order: the Jouvet coma scale, the Moscow coma scale, the Glasgow coma scale (GCS), the Bozza-Marrubini scale and the FOUR score (Full Outline of UnResponsiveness), as well as other scales that have had less impact and are rarely used outside their country of origin. DISCUSSION: Of the five main scales, the GCS is by far the most widely used. It is easy to apply and very suitable for cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, it has shortcomings, such as the fact that the speech component in intubated patients cannot be tested. While the Jouvet scale is quite sensitive, particularly for levels of consciousness closer to normal levels, it is difficult to use. The Moscow scale has good predictive value but is little used by the medical community. The FOUR score is easy to apply and provides more neurological details than the Glasgow scale.

The CCCTC - binding factor (CTCF) is a protein involved in repression, activation, hormone-inducible gene silencing, functional reading of imprinted genes and X-chromosome inactivation. We analyzed CTCF gene expression in bovine peripheral blood, oocytes and in different cellular stages (2-4 cells, 8-16 cells, 16-32 cells, morulae, and blastocysts) of in vitro fertilized embryos. This is the first report of CTCF expression in oocytes and preimplantation bovine embryos and has implications for the production of embryonic stem cells and the development of novel medical technologies for humans.

Estudou-se o desempenho de bovinos machos não-castrados das raças Aberdeen Angus (AA) e Hereford (HE) em confinamento, submetidos a dois níveis de energia, em esquema fatorial 2 x 2, sendo o menor nível com 3,07 e o maior com 3,18 Mcal/kg de energia digestível (12 e 32% de concentrado na dieta, respectivamente). Foram utilizados oito animais da raça AA e oito HE, com idade inicial de nove meses e peso médio inicial de 220,31 kg, que permaneceram confinados até que o peso da carcaça atingiu o mínimo de 190 kg (estimativa). Os animais da raça AA apresentaram maior consumo de MS, em % PV (2,27 vs 2,10%) e em g/kg0,75 (91,4 vs 86,4 g). Os animais que consumiram o maior nível de energia na dieta apresentaram maiores consumos de MS/dia (6,31 vs 5,71 kg), em PV (2,26 vs 2,11%) e em g/kg0,75 (92,28 vs 85,44 g), de energia digestível (ED), em Mcal/dia (20,58 vs 18,13 Mcal), e de PB, em kg/dia (0,845 vs 0,759 kg), além de maior ganho médio diário de peso (1,409 vs 1,250 kg). Os animais que consumiram o menor nível apresentaram maiores consumos de fibra em detergente neutro (FDN), em kg/dia (2,23 vs 2,07 kg), e de fibra em detergente ácido (FDA), em kg/dia (1,13 vs 1,01 kg). Os consumos de MS/dia, de FDN e de FDA, nos animais que consumiram o menor nível de energia, tiveram comportamento linear e, naqueles que receberam o maior nível, comportamento quadrático, frente aos períodos de confinamento. Para as características consumo de MS, em %PV e em g/kg0,75, nos tratamentos com menor nível de energia, o comportamento foi de forma cúbica e naqueles de maior nível, de forma quadrática. O consumo de ED apresentou, nos períodos, comportamento linear para o menor nível energético e cúbico para o maior nível.

The feedlot performance of Aberdeen Angus (AA) and Hereford (HE) steers submitted to two energy levels, in a 2 x 2 factorial scheme, being the lower level of 3.07 (12% of concentrate in the diet) and the higher of 3.18 Mcal of digestible energy/kg of DM (32% of concentrate in the diet), was evaluated. Eight steers of each breed were used, with nine months of age and average initial weight of 220.31 kg. The animals were confined until the estimated carcass weight reached 190 kg of average minimum weight. AA animals showed higher DM intake per 100 kg of live weight (2.27 vs 2.10%) and per unit of metabolic weight (91.4 vs 86.4 g). Animals fed with the higher energy level showed higher DM intakes per day (6.31vs 5.71kg), per 100kg of live weight (2.26 vs 2.11%), per unit of metabolic weight (92.28 vs 85.44g), of digestible energy (DE) (20.58 vs 18.13 Mcal/day) and crude protein (CP) (0.845 vs 0.759 kg/day), beyond a higher daily weight gain (1.409 vs 1.250 kg). The animals that received the lower level showed higher intakes of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), kg/day (2.23 vs 2.07 kg) and of acid detergent fiber (ADF), kg/day (1.13 vs 1.01 kg). The DM/day, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber intakes showed a linear behavior for feedlot period, when the animals received the lower energy level, and a quadratic pattern when the animals received the higher energy level. For DM intake expressed as percentage of live weight and per unit of metabolic weight, a cubic behavior was observed, for feedlot period for the animals fed with the lower energy level, however, for the animals fed diet with the higher level of energy the behavior was quadratic. The digestible energy intake had a linear behavior in the lower energy level and a cubic behavior in the higher energy level, according to periods.

Na raiva a mensuração da resposta imune específica é realizada através da prova de soro neutralização em camundongos. É inquestionável que os anticorpos neutralizantes são os responsáveis pela proteção dos indivíduos contra infecção rábica. Por outro lado, de acordo com a Organização Mundial da Saúde, somente os portadores de anticorpos neutralizantes com título igual ou superior a 0,5 UI estão satisfatoriamente protegidos. Este estudo mostra a monitorização de anticorpos anti-rábicos de indivíduos expostos ao risco de infecção rábica, realizada pelo Departamento Médico do Instituto de Tecnologia do Paraná. 57 indivíduos com idade entre 20 e 40 anos, foram vacinados com vacina tipo Fuenzalida-Palacios com título mínimo de 1,3 UI. O esquema vacinal constou na aplicação de três doses da vacina com intervalos de dois dias e um reforço vacinal 28 dias após a última dose. A monitorização dos títulos de anticorpos foi realizada através do teste de soro neutralização durante um período de 18 meses. Esta mostrou a nescessidade da aplicação de um reforço vacinal em parte do grupo. Parte destes indivíduos foram revacinados com vacina tipo Fuenzalida-Palacios com título mínimo de 1,3 UI e parte com vacina de cultivo celular com título mínimo de 2,5 UI. Todos os indivíduos responderam com título maior que 0,5 UI, mantendo estes níveis até o final do período de observação, demonstrando a pronta resposta anamnéstica de ambos os imunógenos.

Studies ere carried out to monitor the titres of anti-rabies antibodies taken from individuals exposed to the risk of infection. Fifty-seven individuals aged between 20 and 40, were vaccinated with a minimum titre of 1.3 IU Fuenzalida-Palacios type anti-rabies vaccine. The vaccination plan consisted of the application of three doses at two day intervals and a booster applied 28 days after the final dose. The accompainment of the antibody titres was achieved by means of the seroneutralization test over a total period of 18 months. Through the monitoring carried out, it was found to be necessary to apply a booster vaccination to part of the group. Some of these individuals were revaccinated with Fuenzalida-Palacios type vaccine with a minimum titre of 1.3 IU. And some with cellular vaccine with a minimum titre of 2.5 IU. All the individuals responded with titres greater than 0.5 IU, maintaining these levels until the end of the observation period, demonstrating a ready anamnestic response to both immunogens.