Amazonian biodiversity is increasingly threatened due to the weakening of policies for combating deforestation, especially in Brazil. Loss of animal and plant species, many not yet known to science, is just one among many negative consequences of Amazon deforestation. Deforestation affects indigenous communities, riverside as well as urban populations, and even planetary health. Amazonia has a prominent role in regulating the Earth's climate, with forest loss contributing to rising regional and global temperatures and intensification of extreme weather events. These climatic conditions are important drivers of emerging infectious diseases, and activities associated with deforestation contribute to the spread of disease vectors. This review presents the main impacts of Amazon deforestation on infectious-disease dynamics and public health from a One Health perspective. Because Brazil holds the largest area of Amazon rainforest, emphasis is given to the Brazilian scenario. Finally, potential solutions to mitigate deforestation and emerging infectious diseases are presented from the perspectives of researchers in different fields.
Human migration is a major process that shaped the origin and dissemination of HIV. Within HIV-1, subtype B (HIV-1B) is the most disseminated variant and it is assumed to be the causative agent in approximately 11% of all cases of HIV worldwide. Phylogenetic studies have revealed that HIV-1B emerged in Kinshasa (Africa) and was introduced into the Caribbean region via Haiti in or around 1966 by human migration. After localized dispersion, the virus was brought to the United States of America via homosexual/bisexual contact around 1969. Inside USA, the incidence of HIV-1B infection increased exponentially and it became established in the population, affecting not only homosexual individuals but also heterosexual individuals and injecting drug users. Soon after, the virus was disseminated and became established in other regions, including Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Australia. Recent studies suggest that, in addition to this pandemic clade, several lineages have emerged from Haiti and reached other Caribbean and Latin American countries via short-distance dissemination. Different subtype B genetic variants have also been detected in these epidemics. Four genetic variants have been described to date: subtype B', which mainly circulates in Thailand and other Asian countries; a specific variant mainly found in Trinidad and Tobago; the GPGS variant, which is primarily detected in Korea; and the GWGR variant, which is mainly detected in Brazil. This paper reviews the evolution of HIV-1B and its impact on the human population.
Summary The present study investigated four restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) in the leptin gene and five short tandem repeats (STRs) in its vicinity in 160 females from a synthetic beef cattle breed (5/8 Aberdeen Angus and 3/8 Nelore), and evaluated possible associations between these markers and reproductive performance. A high level of genetic diversity was observed, STRs being more variable than RFLPs. Heterozygosities ranged from 0.67 to 0.87 in STRs and from 0.12 to 0.49 in RFLPs, suggesting that the selective process applied to the Brangus‐Ibage cattle had not affected the total genetic diversity expected for crossbreeds. Two alleles (IDVGA51*181 and LEPSau3A1*+) seem to increase calving interval (CI) by about 79 and 81 days, respectively. Therefore, selection against carriers of these mutations could improve CI by at least 2 months, despite the seasonality of the mating period employed here. LEPSau3AI system seems to influence weight at first calving (WFC). Heterozygotes (LEPSau3AI*+/LEPSau3AI*−) had higher WFC than LEPSau3AI*−/LEPSau3AI*− homozygote. Selection for animals with this genotype could result in some advantages for post‐calving recovery. CI and WFC are indirect measurements of reproduction reflecting also animal body conditions, and therefore it is difficult to determine whether or not IDVGA51*181 and LEPSau3A1*+ alleles directly affect the reproductive system. Although further analysis of other herds should be performed to confirm these data, the association of genetic markers with better reproductive performance is a very interesting finding and could be used in marker‐assisted selection to improve reproduction in beef cattle.
in genotype distribution. The 2-2 genotype was present in three out of 26 patients with dyskinesia (11.5%) vs eight out of 30 patients without dyskinesia (26.7%; P = 0.19). Due to the lower frequency of the 2.2 genotype, together with an over-representation of the 1-2 genotype among the dyskinesia-positive subjects (see above), the overall distribution (2 × 3 table) of the 1-1, 1-2 and 2-2 genotypes was almost significantly different in the dyskinesia-positive vs dyskinesia-negative schizophrenic patients (P = 0.056 by Fisher exact test). Our present data indicate that the Gly-9 variant (allele 2) is more frequent in this Indian population as compared to its frequency in other Asian as well as Caucasian populations. 15 We were not able to demonstrate any association between the Ser9Gly DRD3 genotype and the presence of dyskinesia in drug-naive schizophrenic patients. Due to the low number of subjects, however, with a corresponding insufficient statistical power, the risk of a type 2 (false negative) error is high. Unfortunately, we have not been able to increase the size of our unique sample. The hypothesis that schizophrenic patients homozygous for the Gly-9 allele represent a certain phenotype with a high prevalence of dyskinesia can therefore not be excluded. We anticipate that the inclusion and examination of numerous drug-naive schizophrenic patients with long-lasting illness in general may prove difficult. Still, we would like to challenge other research groups to extend our pilot study, to further examine whether the proposed predisposing role of the Ser9Gly DRD3 polymorphism in dyskinesia development is linked to the use of classical neuroleptic drugs or just appears as an association to a specific schizophrenia phenotype that expresses dyskinesia. A reliable answer, positive or negative, should be highly important. DRD4 and DAT1 as modifying genes in alcoholism: interaction with novelty seeking on level of alcohol consumption SIR -We have presented data on allele and genotype frequencies of the DRD4 exon 3 polymorphism in Brazilian alcoholics and control subjects, 1 and the association of the DRD4 seven-repeat allele containing genotypes with personality dimensions in alcoholics. R 2Following recent studies showing interaction effects between candidate genes and personality dimensions on the course of substance dependence, 3-5 we decided to perform a multiple regression analysis to investigate possible interaction effects between novelty seeking and the genotypes containing the seven-repeat allele in the DRD4 and the homozygotes for the ten-repeat allele of the VNTR in the 3Ј untranslated region of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1).The reason for examining these genes simultaneously is that both have been associated to conditions involving impulsivity or hyperactivity tendencies, especially attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 6,7 and novelty seeking, 8 which are relevant to the predisposition to substance abuse. 9 We hypothesized that both genes could interact with nov-
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