Benthic community structure and diversity have been investigated to assess stress conditions of Todos os Santos Bay, Bahia, Brazil, as a possible result of the extraction, transportation and re®ning of petroleum, activities carried out in this area for more than 40 years. Samples were collected over two years, at four stations under the direct in¯uence of stress-causing activities and at a control station. Benthic indices were calculated for all intertidal communities. The density, relative abundance, frequency of occurrence, diversity, similarity and occurrence of preferential species were recorded. Linear correlation indices were calculated to establish comparisons between ecological parameters of the studied communities and concentrations of heavy metals, hydrocarbons, petroleum pollution indicators and sediment mud percentages. The polychaete worms were the dominant group Ð up to 92% dominance in the community within the in¯uence of re®nery activities. Diversity indices indicated signi®cant stress related spatial gradients tied to petroleum. The re®nery sample station showed notable differences in its biodiversity ®gures compared to the other stations. Quantitative benthic indices showed negative correlations between the presence of cadmium, hydrocarbons, n-alkanes and the unresolved complex mixture in the intertidal zone marine sediments.

BackgroundMost Crohn’s disease (CD) genes discovered in recent years are associated with biological systems critical to the development of this disease. TGFB1 and IL10 are cytokines with important roles in CD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between CD, its clinical features and TGFB1 and IL10 gene polymorphisms.MethodsThis case–control study enrolled 91 patients and 91 controls from the state of Bahia, Brazil. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were studied in the TGFB1 gene (codon 10 T > C - rs1800470; codon 25 G > C - rs1800471) and IL10 gene (−1082 A > G - rs1800896; -819 T > C - rs1800871; -592 A > C - rs1800872). An analysis of the genetic polymorphisms was performed using a commercial kit. A comparison of allele frequencies and genotypes was estimated by calculating the odds ratio (OR) with a confidence interval adjusted via the Bonferroni test for a local alpha of 1%. A stratified analysis was applied for gender, race and smoking history. Patients with CD were characterized according to the Montreal classification.ResultsThe C allele and CC genotype of the TGFB1 gene rs1800470 were both significantly associated with CD. The stratified analysis showed no confounding factors for the co-variables of gender, race and smoking history. The IL10 gene rs1800896 G allele was significantly associated with age at diagnosis of CD, while the T allele of the IL10 gene rs1800871 was significantly associated with perianal disease. The SNPs rs1800871 and rs1800872 were in 100% linkage disequilibrium.ConclusionsTGFB1 gene polymorphisms may be associated with susceptibility to the development of CD, and IL10 gene polymorphisms appear to influence the CD phenotype in this admixed population.

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