No abstract

Basophils of patients with CIU showed an activated profile, possibly due to an in vivo priming. Functionally, basophils have high responsiveness to IL-3 stimulation, thereby suggesting that defects in the signal transduction pathway after IgE cross-linking stimuli are recoverable in subjects with chronic urticaria.

Brazilian forest producers have developed integrated management programs to increase the effectiveness of the control of leaf-cutting ants of the genera Atta and Acromyrmex. These measures reduced the costs and quantity of insecticides used in the plantations. Such integrated management programs are based on monitoring the ant nests, as well as the need and timing of the control methods. Chemical control employing baits is the most commonly used method, however, biological, mechanical and cultural control methods, besides plant resistance, can reduce the quantity of chemicals applied in the plantations.

The phasing out of methyl bromide as a fumigant, the phosphine resistance problems in stored product insect-pests, and the ever-growing concerns with human health and environmental safety have been guiding the search of alternative fumigants. Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) is the main component of mustard oil with reported pesticide activity and potential as a fumigant of stored foodstuffs. The fumigant toxicity of AITC was assessed in adults of 18 populations of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebronidae). These populations were all susceptible to AITC with negligible variation among them. Two of these populations were further used to test the AITC susceptibility of eggs, larvae (early and late instars), and pupae of T. castaneum. All of the developmental stages of both populations were similarly susceptible to AITC. No cross-resistance between phosphine and AITC was observed. Despite the significant variation in body mass, respiration rate, and fitness among the populations of T. castaneum, they were not correlated with AITC susceptibility. Larvae and adult malformations were observed when larvae and pupae were exposed to AITC. These results show the potential of AICT as an alternative fumigant against stored product insects.

SummaryThe disturbed cytokine-chemokine network could play an important role in the onset of diseases with inflammatory processes such as chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). Our main objectives were to evaluate the relation between proinflammatory chemokine serum levels from CIU patients and their response to autologous skin test (ASST) and basophil histamine release (BHR). We also aimed to assess the chemokine secretion by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) upon polyclonal stimulus and to evaluate chemokine C-C ligand 2/C-X-C chemokine 8 (CCL2/CXCL8) and Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) expression in monocytes. We observed significantly higher serum levels of the CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CCL2 in CIU patients compared to the healthy group, regardless of the BHR or ASST response. The basal secretion of CCL2 by PBMC or induced by Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin A (SEA) was higher in CIU patients than in the control group, as well as for CXCL8 and CCL5 secretions upon phytohaemagglutinin stimulation. Also, up-regulation of CCL2 and CXCL8 mRNA expression was found in monocytes of patients upon SEA stimulation. The findings showed a high responsiveness of monocytes through CCL2/CXCL8 expression, contributing to the creation of a proinflammatory environment in CIU.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar uma análise comparativa entre um livro didático de Biologia utilizado na terceira série do Ensino Médio, da rede estadual de ensino do município de Cascavel, PR, e apostilas utilizadas por duas escolas da rede privada. Após o levantamento e escolha, os materiais didáticos foram submetidos a uma análise geral em relação à capa, encadernação, espaçamento entre linhas, tamanho da letra, ilustrações, quadros e tabelas, e, também, a uma análise específica do conteúdo Filo Mollusca, considerando-se conceitos; sugestões de leituras complementares; erros ortográficos e conceituais; erros de impressão e revisão; ilustrações. Verificou-se que todos os materiais didáticos analisados apresentam falhas. No entanto, em umas das apostilas, foram encontradas mais falhas, pois além do seu conteúdo ser extremamente sucinto e não apresentar um planejamento em relação às atividades propostas, continha imagens incorretas e sem legendas auto-explicativas.

SummaryImmunological dysfunction has been described to occur in chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU), most notably in association with an inflammatory process. Some pharmacological agents as statins -drugs used in hypercholesterolaemia -display a broad effect on the immune response and thus should be tested in vitro in CIU. Our main objectives were to evaluate the effects of statins on the innate and adaptive immune response in CIU.

The knowledge on ovigeny in parasitoids is important for basic studies on physiology and applied biological control. The ovigeny pattern and type of ovariole of the parasitoid Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare & LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) were studied in newly-emerged females at seven, 14, 24 and 48 h intervals after their emergence from Tenebrio molitor L. pupae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Females of P. elaeisis presented ovaries composed by four ovarioles of the meroistic polytrophic type. The yolk accumulation and chorionogenesis in P. elaeisis were concluded 24 h after the female emergence. The 48 h-old females show a high quantity of egg ready for oviposition. These findings can help to improve the mass production of P. elaeisis and the augmentative biological control by using this natural enemy.