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By using the Golgi technique, the authors investigated the morphology of ganglion cells in the retinas of South American opossums. In flat-mount preparations of the retinas, cell bodies, entire dendritic fields, and the stratification level of ganglion cells were studied. Fractal dimensions of dendritic trees, an objective quantitative measure of morphological complexity, were included as a morphological parameter of classification. Based on these characteristics, nineteen types of ganglion cells were described. A great number of opossum ganglion cell types had dendrites stratifying in both sublaminae of the inner plexiform layer (IPL) in five different ways (S1-S3 [G9], S1-S4 [G17 and G22], S2/S3 [G19], S2-S4 [G15, G16, G21 and G221, and S2-S5 [G61), and only two types (G8, and G10) showed narrow field dendritic trees ramifying in S4 only. Morphological types of opossum ganglion cells were compared to their counterparts in cat retina. The distribution pattern of large cell bodies on the ganglion cell layer was analyzed employing the Nissl staining method, immunocytochemistry for neurofilaments, and the reduced silver neurofibrillar staining method. The results showed a random pattern of distribution.

RESUMO Objetivo Avaliar a morfologia de biséis de agulhas hipodérmicas após a aspiração de drogas e a percepção de conforto ocasionado pela troca ou não de agulhas entre preparo e administração de medicamentos pela via subcutânea. Método Pesquisa experimental realizada em dois momentos. Inicialmente, agulhas hipodérmicas foram analisadas por microscopia eletrônica de varredura e, em seguida, um ensaio piloto foi conduzido com os participantes, que indicaram o nível de conforto percebido no momento da penetração dos biséis das agulhas durante a administração pela via subcutânea. Resultados Participaram do estudo 41 pacientes adultos internados. Apesar de as agulhas terem apresentado de discreta a importante alteração morfológica, quando avaliadas por ultramicroscopia, os participantes deste estudo não foram capazes de relatar alterações sensoriais significativas durante a penetração destas nas duas técnicas adotadas. Conclusões A padronização de seringas com agulhas fixas ou o uso de uma única agulha tanto para o preparo quanto para a administração de medicamentos pela via subcutânea devem ser considerados como estratégias para redução da produção de resíduos perfurocortantes, diminuição do custo por procedimento e limitação do risco de contaminação de dispositivos considerados críticos.

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SUMMARY Massive fish kills caused by bloom‐forming species of the Raphidophyceae occur in many marine coastal areas and often cause significant economic losses. The ultrastructure and phylogeny of marine raphidophytes from the Brazilian coast have not been fully analyzed. Here, we present the first combined morphological and genetic characterization of raphidophyte strains from the Brazilian coast. Ten strains of four raphidophyte species (Chattonella subsalsa, C. antiqua, Heterosigma akashiwo, and Fibrocapsa japonica) were characterized based on morphology (including ultrastructure) and LSU rDNA sequences. Chattonella subsalsa and C. antiqua formed two distinct genetic clades. We found that the cell size is the only phenotypic feature separating C. subsalsa and C. antiqua strains from Brazil, whereas traditional characteristics used for species separation in the genus Chattonella (i.e., tail size, chloroplast presence in the tail, ‘oboe‐shaped’ mucocysts, and presence of thylakoids in the pyrenoid matrix) were not sufficiently discriminative, due to their overlapping in the two taxa. The phylogenetic analysis indicated intra‐specific geographic differences among C. subsalsa sequences, with two subclades: one formed by isolates from Brazil, USA, and Iran, and another by a sequence from the Adriatic Sea (Italy). Fibrocapsa japonica also showed intra‐specific geographic differences, with a sequence from a Brazilian strain grouped with strains from Japan, Australia, and Germany, all of them distinct from the Italian isolates. This is the first combined morphological and phylogenetic analysis of raphidophytes from the South Atlantic. Our findings broaden knowledge of the biodiversity of this important bloom‐forming algal group.