The Amazon basin includes 1000s of bodies of water, that are sorted according to their color in three types: blackwater, clearwater, and whitewater, which significantly differ in terms of their physicochemical parameters. More than 3,000 species of fish live in the rivers of the Amazon, among them, the sardine, Triportheus albus, which is one of the few species that inhabit all three types of water. The purpose of our study was to analyze if the gene expression of T. albus is determined by the different types of water, that is, if the species presents phenotypic plasticity to live in blackwater, clearwater, and whitewater. Gills of T. albus were collected at well-characterized sites for each type of water. Nine cDNA libraries were constructed, three biological replicates of each condition and the RNA was sequenced (RNA-Seq) on the MiSeq® Platform (Illumina®). A total of 51.6 million of paired-end reads, and 285,456 transcripts were assembled. Considering the FDR ≤ 0.05 and fold change ≥ 2, 13,754 differentially expressed genes were detected in the three water types. Two mechanisms related to homeostasis were detected in T. albus that live in blackwater, when compared to the ones in clearwater and whitewater. The acidic blackwater is a challenging environment for many types of aquatic organisms. The first mechanism is related to the decrease in cellular permeability, highlighting the genes coding for claudin proteins, actn4, itgb3b, DSP, Gap junction protein, and Ca2+-ATPase. The second with ionic and acid-base regulation [rhcg1, slc9a6a (NHE), ATP6V0A2, Na+/K+-ATPase, slc26a4 (pedrin) and slc4a4b]. We suggest T. albus is a good species of fish for future studies involving the ionic and acid-base regulation of Amazonian species. We also concluded that, T. albus, shows well defined phenotypic plasticity for each water type in the Amazon basin.
Na adolescência, hábitos sedentários são fatores preocupantes, pois além de constituírem fator de risco para várias doenças, predispõem na fase adulta a ocorrência de doenças crônicas. Em se tratando do desenvolvimento de patologias, a gravidez na adolescência é fator determinante de vulnerabilidade quando associada ao sedentarismo. Este estudo teve como objetivo verificar a percepção de sedentarismo entre adolescentes grávidas atendidas nas Unidades Básicas de Saúde do Município de Coari, Estado do Amazonas, Brasil, e levantar os fatores associados a esta questão por meio de um estudo transversal, quantitativo, com adolescentes grávidas residentes na zona urbana da Cidade de Coari. Os dados foram coletados por meio da utilização de questionário semiestruturado, constituído por perguntas abertas e fechadas referentes ao nível de atividade física e sedentarismo aplicado durante o mês de setembro de 2010, Os resultados revelaram que 69% das adolescentes grávidas tinham idade entre 17 e 18 anos, 44% eram solteiras, e 56% haviam cursado, sem concluir, o ensino fundamental. Entre as entrevistadas, 97% alegaram não praticar exercício durante a gravidez. Depois de tomarem conhecimento do conceito de sedentarismo, 75% referiram-se sedentárias e somente 25% classificaram-se como ativas. Desta forma, infere-se que a percepção de sedentarismo entre adolescentes grávidas revelou-se um fator preocupante, sendo o padrão de atividade das entrevistadas baixo e inadequado desde o início da gravidez. Conclui-se que fatores comportamentais, biológicos e culturais participam na determinação do sedentarismo, demonstrando a ausência de incentivo à prática de atividade física durante a gestação e suscitando uma atenção especial dos agentes públicos de saúde.
This study aims to evaluate the transcriptome alterations, through cDNA libraries, associated with the combined effects of two PAHs, benzo[a]pyrene (0.5 µg/L) and phenanthrene (50 µg/L), present in crude oil, on specimens of Symphysodon aequifasciatus (discus fish) after 48 h of exposure. The cDNA libraries were constructed according to the SOLiD™ SAGE™ protocol for sequencing in the SOLiD v.3 Plus sequencer. The results were analyzed by bioinformatics and differentially expressed genes were categorized using the gene ontology program. The functional categories (terms) found in the gene ontology and the gene network generated using STRING software were used to predict the adverse effects of benzo[a]pyrene and phenanthrene in the liver. In the present study, 27,127 genes (compared to Danio rerio database) were identified. Considering only those genes with a p-value less than or equal to 0.05 and greater than or equal to two-fold change in expression across libraries, we found 804 genes, 438 down-regulated (54%) and 366 up-regulated (46%), in the experimental group compared to the control. Out of this total, 327 genes were successfully categorized, 174 down-regulated and 153 up-regulated, using gene ontology. Using String, the gene network was composed by 199 nodes, 124 of them resulting in 274 interactions. The results showed that even an acute exposure of 48 h caused metabolic change in response to environmental contaminants, resulting in changes of cell integrity, in oxidation-reduction processes, in the immune response and disturbances of intracellular signaling of discus fish. Also the gene network has showed no central interplay cluster, exhibiting instead interconnected clusters interactions and connected sub-networks. These findings highlight that even an acute sublethal exposure of PAHs can cause metabolism changes that may affect survival of discus. Our findings using SOLiD coupled with SAGE-method resulted in a powerful and reliable means for gene expression analysis in discus, a non-model Amazonian fish.
Introduction: Increasing elderly populations require specific and accurate health assessment tools. Purpose: To compare the specificities of the short physical performance battery (SPPB) and the Tinetti Index validated in Brazil in patients with and without neuromotor dysfunctions. Materials and methods: Thirty-nine individuals (19 healthy and 20 with neuromotor changes) of both sexes aged 60–75 years, living in Coari (Amazonas state in Brazil), underwent SPPB and Tinetti scale assessments on alternate dates. Results and discussion: We observed significant differences between the scales, where the distribution was very concentrated after the Tinetti assessment and more dispersed after the SPPB in healthy individuals. This demonstrated that SPPB can detect minimal differences in gait and balance between healthy individuals, while the Tinetti scale is better at discriminating between healthy and those affected by mobility disorders. Conclusion: SPPB was more specific than the Tinetti Index in detecting changes in gait and balance.
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