We describe the use of ants as indicators in Brazil, based on a critical review of published articles. The analysis of fifty-eight papers, encompassing a range of almost 25 years, indicates an increased number of studies using ants as indicators in the last decade. Among the parameters analyzed in the papers, species composition is the most suitable to evaluate the effect of the disturbance on ant communities. The use of other metrics that consider the specificity and fidelity (e.g., IndVal index) of ant species to a level or state of disturbance is also highly desirable. We discuss several alternative ways of overcoming many of the drawbacks related to the robustness of the results and to reduce the financial, logistic, and time costs involved with the use of ants as indicators in monitoring programs. By doing so, we expect to encourage new research on ants as bioindicators as well as to summarize current knowledge, facilitating further research.

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BackgroundThe arthropod-borne Mayaro virus (MAYV) causes ‘Mayaro fever’, a disease of medical significance, primarily affecting individuals in permanent contact with forested areas in tropical South America. Recently, MAYV has attracted attention due to its likely urbanization. Currently, there are no licensed drugs against most mosquito-transmitted viruses. Here, we investigated the in vitro anti-MAYV activity of the flavonoids quercetin and its derivatives from the Brazilian shrub Bauhinia longifolia (Bong.) Steud.MethodsFlavonoids were purified by chromatographic fractionation from leaf extracts of B. longifolia and chemically identified as quercetin and quercetin glycosides using spectroscopic techniques. Cytotoxicity of purified flavonoids and of EtOAc- and n-BuOH-containing flavonoid mixtures was measured by the dye-uptake assay while their antiviral activity was evaluated by a virus yield inhibition assay.ResultsThe following flavonoids were purified from B. longifolia leaves: non-glycosylated quercetin and its glycosides guaijaverin, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, and hyperin. EtOAc and n-BuOH fractions containing these flavonoids demonstrated the highest antiviral activity of all tested substances, while quercetin had the highest antiviral activity amongst purified flavonoids. Quercetin, EtOAc, or n-BuOH fractions inhibited MAYV production by more than 90% at 25 μg/mL, displaying a stronger antiviral effect than the licensed antiviral ribavirin. A mixture of the isomers isoquercitrin and hyperin had a modest antiviral effect (IC90 = 104.9), while guaijaverin and quercitrin did not show significant antiviral activity.ConclusionsB. longifolia is a good source of flavonoids with anti-Mayaro virus activity. This is the first report of the activity of quercetin and its derivatives against an alphavirus.

PFMT is an effective approach to treat LUTD in female with MS.

Sepsis is a common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) and acute lung injury. Oxidative stress plays as important role in such injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects that the potent antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has on renal and pulmonary function in rats with sepsis. Rats, treated or not with NAC (4.8 g/l in drinking water), underwent cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) 2 days after the initiation of NAC treatment, which was maintained throughout the study. At 24 h post-CLP, renal and pulmonary function were studied in four groups: control, control + NAC, CLP, and CLP + NAC. All animals were submitted to low-tidal-volume mechanical ventilation. We evaluated respiratory mechanics, the sodium cotransporters Na-K-2Cl (NKCC1) and the α-subunit of the epithelial sodium channel (α-ENaC), polymorphonuclear neutrophils, the edema index, oxidative stress (plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and lung tissue 8-isoprostane), and glomerular filtration rate. The CLP rats developed AKI, which was ameliorated in the CLP + NAC rats. Sepsis-induced alterations in respiratory mechanics were also ameliorated by NAC. Edema indexes were lower in the CLP + NAC group, as was the wet-to-dry lung weight ratio. In CLP + NAC rats, α-ENaC expression was upregulated, whereas that of NKCC1 was downregulated, although the difference was not significant. In the CLP + NAC group, oxidative stress was significantly lower and survival rates were significantly higher than in the CLP group. The protective effects of NAC (against kidney and lung injury) are likely attributable to the decrease in oxidative stress, suggesting that NAC can be useful in the treatment of sepsis.

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A B S T R A C TJabuticaba is a fruit native of Brazil and, besides containing many nutritional qualities, it also has a good field for use in products such as flour for cakes and biscuits, juice, liqueur, jelly and others. This study aimed to model the drying kinetics and determine the thermodynamic properties of jabuticaba peel at different drying air temperatures. Ripe fruits of jabuticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba) were collected and pulped manually. Drying was carried out in a forced-air circulation oven with a flow of 5.6 m s -1 at temperatures of 40, 50, 60 and 70 °C. Six mathematical models commonly used to represent the drying process of agricultural products were fitted to the experimental data. The Arrhenius model was used to represent the drying constant as a function of temperature. The Midilli model showed the best fit to the experimental data of drying. The drying constant increased with the increment in drying temperature and promoted an activation energy of 37.29 kJ mol -1 . Enthalpy and Gibbs free energy decreased with the increase in drying temperature, while entropy decreased and was negative.Modelagem matemática e propriedades termodinâmicas da casca da jabuticaba durante o processo de secagem R E S U M OA jabuticaba é um fruto nativo do Brasil e além de conter muitas qualidades nutricionais também possui bom campo para a utilização em subprodutos como farinhas para bolos e biscoitos, suco, licor, geleia e outros. Objetivou-se modelar a cinética de secagem e determinar as propriedades termodinâmicas de casca de jabuticaba em diferentes temperaturas do ar de secagem. Foram utilizadas jabuticabas maduras, colhidas e separadas da polpa manualmente, da espécie Myrciaria jaboticaba. A secagem foi realizada em estufa de circulação forçada de ar com velocidade de 5,6 m s -1 nas temperaturas de 40; 50; 60 e 70 °C. Seis modelos matemáticos usualmente utilizados para a representação do processo de secagem de produtos agrícolas foram ajustados aos dados experimentais. A relação do tipo Arrhenius foi utilizada para representar a constante de secagem em função da temperatura. O modelo de Midilli foi o que melhor se ajustou aos dados experimentais da secagem. A constante de secagem aumentou com o incremento da temperatura de secagem e proporcionou energia de ativação de 37,29 kJ mol -1 . A entalpia e a energia livre de Gibbs diminuíram com o aumento da temperatura de secagem; já a entropia diminuiu e foi negativa.