In this Research Communication we describe the application of single-step Bayesian regression (ssBR) models to predict milk yield of Murrah buffaloes. Milk production records of 2,026 cows in their first lactation were used. Using 270-day cumulative milk yield records as phenotype, genomic breeding values were predicted and their accuracies and dispersions were calculated by five methods: BayesA (ssBA), BayesB (ssBB), BayesC (ssBC); Bayesian Lasso (ssBL); and Bayesian ridge regression (ssBRR). For models based on mixture distributions (ssBB and ssBC), the proportions of markers having effect (π) were assumed as fixed, with respective values of 99% or 90%, or as unknown, where two approaches to estimate π were applied (ssBayesBπ and ssBayesCπ). The accuracy values found ranged from 0.550 (ssBBπ) to 0.584 (ssBCπ) and, the dispersion estimates ranged from 0.867 (ssBA) to 0.958 (ssBRR). The results indicated that Bayesian Lasso was the most suitable model for genetic evaluation of milk yield by buffaloes, considering accuracy and dispersion as criteria.

Using a perturbation result established by Galatolo and Lucena [Spectral gap and quantitative statistical stability for systems with contracting fibers and Lorenz-like maps. Discrete Contin. Dyn. Syst. 40(3) (2020), 1309–1360], we obtain quantitative estimates on the continuity of the invariant densities and entropies of the physical measures for some families of piecewise expanding maps. We apply these results to a family of two-dimensional tent maps.

The objective was to evaluate the influence of supplementation of L-arginine at 10 g/kg on the performance of lactating sows and their litters by evaluating the milk amino acid composition, serum hormone levels, mammary tissue redox status indicators, mammary tissue histomorphology, and the expression of genes related to mammary gland metabolism. The study was conducted in the municipality of Oliveira, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 2019. A total of 24 sows were selected. A completely randomized design was used in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement, with two diets (control and 10 g L-arginine/kg) and three mammary gland positions (thoracic, abdominal and inguinal), totaling six treatment groups. Each dietary treatment consisted of 12 replicates, with each replicate equivalent to one experimental unit, which was considered a sow and its litter. Females that were fed a diet supplemented with L-arginine had lower feed intake and greater weight loss. Piglets from sows that received L-arginine supplementation presented reduced weaning weight variation. L-arginine supplementation did not affect the amino acid composition of the milk, the plasma hormone levels of the sows, the oxidative stress parameters of redox, or breast tissue morphology. However, it may modulate the expression of genes important for mammary gland metabolism, such as the COX1 and SLC27A4. Piglets that suckled teats in the thoracic and abdominal positions had higher mean weights at 14 and 23 days, as well as greater daily weight gains. L-arginine supplementation to sows improves litter quality by increasing weaning weight uniformity; piglets that occupy the thoracic and abdominal positions perform better.

The family Dendrophylliidae comprises a genus of azooxanthellate corals, Tubastraea (also known as ‘sun corals’ or ‘cup corals’), native from the Indo-Pacific and introduced into the Atlantic Ocean in the early 1940s. In Brazil, Tubastraea colonies were first registered on oil platforms on the northern coast of Rio de Janeiro state (22°S) in the late 1980s. Two decades later, these corals were for the first time identified in the Todos-os-Santos Bay (Bahia state, 13°S), a warmer environment with diverse marine ecosystems including estuaries, mangroves, and coral reefs. Intending to describe the biological cycle of exotic dendrophylliids from the Brazilian northeastern coast, histological analyses revealed three new reproductive structures for Scleractinia: (1) a mucin layer composed of acid glycoproteins surrounding immature sun coral oocytes, (2) trophonema or specialized cells connecting the oocyte to the adjacent gastrodermis, and (3) nucleolini, small condensations in nucleoli.

Leishmaniases affect 12 million people worldwide. They are caused by Leishmania spp., protozoan parasites transmitted to mammals by female phlebotomine flies. During the life cycle, promastigote forms of the parasite live in the gut of infected sandflies and convert into amastigotes inside the vertebrate macrophages. The parasite evades macrophage's microbicidal responses due to virulence factors that affect parasite phagocytosis, survival and/or proliferation. The interaction between Leishmania and macrophage molecules is essential to phagocytosis and parasite survival. Proteins containing leucine-rich repeats (LRRs) are common in several organisms, and these motifs are usually involved in protein–protein interactions. We have identified the LRR17 gene, which encodes a protein with 6 LRR domains, in the genomes of several Leishmania species. We show here that promastigotes of Leishmania (L.) amazonensis overexpressing LaLRR17 are more infective in vitro. We produced recombinant LaLRR17 protein and identified macrophage 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78) as a ligand for LaLRR17 employing affinity chromatography followed by mass spectrometry. We showed that GRP78 binds to LaLRR17 and that its blocking precludes the increase of infection conferred by LaLRR17. Our results are the first to report LRR17 gene and protein, and we hope they stimulate further studies on how this protein increases phagocytosis of Leishmania.

One of the prominent peculiarities of nanoparticles (NPs) is their ability to cross biological barriers. Therefore, the development of NPs with different properties has great therapeutic potential in the area of reproduction because the association of drugs, hormones and other compounds with NPs represents an alternative for delivering substances directly at a specific site and for treatment of reproductive problems. Additionally, lipid-based NPs can be taken up by the tissues of patients with ovarian failure, deep endometriosis, testicular dysfunctions, etc., opening up new perspectives for the treatment of these diseases. The development of nanomaterials with specific size, shape, ligand density and charge certainly will contribute to the next generation of therapies to solve fertility problems in humans. Therefore, this review discusses the potential of NPs to treat reproductive disorders, as well as to regulate the levels of the associated hormones. The possible limitations of the clinical use of NPs are also highlighted.

Fetal restriction (FR) alters insulin sensitivity, but it is unknown how the metabolic profile associated with restriction affects development of the dopamine (DA) system and DA-related behaviors. The Netrin-1/DCC guidance cue system participates in maturation of the mesocorticolimbic DA circuitry. Therefore, our objective was to identify if FR modifies Netrin-1/DCC receptor protein expression in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) at birth and mRNA in adulthood in rodent males. We used cultured HEK293 cells to assess if levels of miR-218, microRNA regulator of DCC, are sensitive to insulin. To assess this, pregnant dams were subjected to a 50% FR diet from gestational day 10 until birth. Medial PFC (mPFC) DCC/Netrin-1 protein expression was measured at P0 at baseline and Dcc/Netrin-1 mRNA levels were quantified in adults 15 min after a saline/insulin injection. miR-218 levels in HEK-293 cells were measured in response to insulin exposure. At P0, Netrin-1 levels are downregulated in FR animals in comparison to controls. In adult rodents, insulin administration results in an increase in Dcc mRNA levels in control but not FR rats. In HEK293 cells, there is a positive correlation between insulin concentration and miR-218 levels. Since miR-218 is a Dcc gene expression regulator and our in vitro results show that insulin regulates miR-218 levels, we suggest that FR-induced changes in insulin sensitivity could be affecting Dcc expression via miR-218, impacting DA system maturation and organization. As fetal adversity is linked to nonadaptive behaviors later in life, this may contribute to early identification of vulnerability to chronic diseases associated with fetal adversity.

This study was performed to determine the effects of crude glycerin (CG) supplementation in drinking water on DM and nutrient intake, milk production, milk composition, and serum glucose. Twenty multiparous Lacaune × East Friesian ewes were randomly distributed into four dietary treatments throughout the lactation cycle. Treatments consisted of doses of CG supplementation via drinking water as follows: (1) no CG supplementation, (2) 15.0 g CG/kg DM, (3) 30.0 g CG/kg DM, and (4) 45.0 g CG/kg DM. DM and nutrient intake were reduced linearly with CG supplementation. CG linearly reduced water intake when expressed as kg d−1. However, no effect of CG was observed when it was expressed as a percentage of body weight or metabolic body weight. The water to DM intake ratio was increased linearly with CG supplementation. No effect of CG doses on serum glucose was observed. The production of standardized milk decreased linearly with the experimental doses of CG. Protein, fat, and lactose yield were linearly reduced with the experimental doses of CG. Milk urea concentration was quadratically increased with CG doses. Feed conversion was quadratically increased by treatments during the pre-weaning period (P < 0.05), in which the worst values were observed when the ewes were supplemented with 15 and 30 g CG/kg DM. The N-efficiency was linearly increased with CG supplementation in drinking water. Our results suggest that dairy sheep can be supplemented with CG up to 15 g/kg DM in drinking water. Greater doses are not beneficial for feed intake, milk production, and the yield of milk components.

This study aimed to evaluate the ploidy and survival of larvae resulting from crosses between tetraploid females and diploid males of yellowtail tetra Astyanax altiparanae, both females (three diploids and three tetraploids) and males (n = 3 diploids). Breeders were subjected to hormonal induction with pituitary gland extract from common carp fish (Cyprinus carpio). Females received two doses at concentrations of 0.3 and 3.0 mg/kg −1 body weight and at intervals of 6 h. Males were induced with a single dose of 3.0 mg/kg −1 applied simultaneously with the second dose in females. Oocytes from each diploid and tetraploid female were fertilized with semen from the same male, resulting in two crosses: cross 1 (diploid male and diploid female) and cross 2 (diploid male and tetraploid female). The procedures were performed with separate females (diploid and tetraploid) and diploid males for each repetition (n = 3). For ploidy determination, 60 larvae from each treatment were analyzed using flow cytometry and cytogenetic analyses. As expected, flow cytometry analysis showed that progenies from crosses 1 and 2 presented diploid and triploid individuals, respectively, with a 100% success rate. The same results were confirmed in the cytogenetic analysis, in which the larvae resulting from cross 1 had 50 metaphase chromosomes and those from cross 2 had 75 chromosomes. The oocytes have a slightly ovoid shape at the time of extrusion. Diploid oocytes had a size of 559 ± 20.62 μm and tetraploid of 1025.33 ± 30.91 μm. Statistical differences were observed between eggs from crosses 1 and 2 (P = 0.0130). No significant differences between treatments were observed for survival at the 2-cell stage (P = 0.6174), blastula (P = 0.9717), gastrula (P = 0.5301), somite (P = 0.3811), and hatching (P = 0.0984) stages. In conclusion, our results showed that tetraploid females of the yellowtail tetra A. altiparanae are fertile, present viable gametes after stripping and fertilization using the ‘dry method’, and may be used for mass production of triploids. This is the first report of these procedures within neotropical characins, and which can be applied in other related species of economic importance.

This study aimed to identify patterns of anthropometric trajectories throughout life and to analyse their association with the occurrence of sarcopenia in people from the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). It is a cross-sectional study involving 9670 public servants, aged 38–79 years, who answered the call for new data collection and exams, conducted approximately 4 years after the study baseline (2012–2014). Data sequence analysis was used to identify patterns of anthropometric trajectory. A theoretical model was elaborated based on the directed acyclic graph (DAG) to select the variables of minimum adjustment in the analysis of the causal effect between trajectory and sarcopenia. Poisson regression with robust variance was adopted for data analysis. The patterns of change in the anthropometric trajectory were classified in stable weight (T1); change to normal weight (T2); change to excess weight (T3); weight fluctuation (T4) and change to low weight (T5). The prevalence of sarcopenia in men and women who changed the anthropometric path for the low weight was twice as large when compared to participants with a stable weight trajectory. A protective effect of the excess weight trajectory was observed for the occurrence of sarcopenia in them. The results pointed to the need for health policies that encourage the proper management of body components in order to prevent and control obesity, as well as to preserve the quantity and quality of skeletal muscle mass throughout life, especially in older adults.

Despite the widely recognized value of wetlands in providing vital ecosystem services, these are presently being degraded and ultimately destroyed, leading to a decrease in the biodiversity associated with these areas. Some species inextricably linked to wetlands, however, have been increasing and (re)colonizing areas across their range; a notable example being the Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia. In this study we aimed to identify the most important habitats for juvenile spoonbills fledging from a traditional colony in Portugal, located in Ria Formosa, during the period of their life with the lowest survival rates: the first months after leaving the colony. We deployed 16 GPS/GSM tags on juveniles captured in different years (2016 to 2020) and tracked them during post-fledging dispersal and first winter (average 166.4 ± 29.2 SE days). Using Corine Land Cover data, we were able to identify which habitats were most important. Several habitats were used in variable proportions by individuals originating from the same colony, but there was a general trend towards using fewer habitats along the first months of life. Intertidal wetlands were the most used habitat, but anthropogenic habitats such as Wastewater Treatment Plants, saltpans and rice fields were identified as alternative habitats for young spoonbills, and may had contributed to the recent expansion of this species in Portugal.

Primordial germ cells transplantation is a unique approach for conservation and reconstitution of endangered fish species. This study aimed to establish techniques to culture dechorionated embryos in different incubation systems and also to determine anaesthetic concentration for fish recipients in the larval stage for subsequent primordial germ cell transplantation. Intact and dechorionated embryos were divided into three incubation systems: (1) a control group with manual replacement of the solution; (2) a closed environment with high oxygen with manual replacement of the solution; and (3) constant solution recirculation. This combination resulted in six treatments. For the evaluation of anaesthetics for larvae, the concentrations evaluated were 19.5 mM, 24.4 mM, 29.3 mM, and 34.2 mM of 2-phenoxyethanol. Anaesthesia concentration and recovery at different stages were evaluated. For transplantation, primordial germ cells of Astyanax altiparanae were transplanted into anaesthetised larvae (1 dph) of Prochilodus lineatus. Better results were obtained in the recirculation system for dechorionated embryos of P. lineatus for hatching (54.18%) and normal morphology (50.06%). The 2-phenoxyethanol anaesthetic with a dose of 29.3 mM resulted in shorter induction times, in addition to the recovery time between 5 and 10 min. By using this anaesthetic concentration at transplantation, GFP-positive cells were seen in two recipients, but the cells did not proliferate. This study established an effective incubation system for the development of the dechorionated embryo and determined an effective anaesthetic concentration for P. lineatus larvae. In addition, micromanipulation and transplantation of primordial germ cells in neotropical species were conducted for the first time.

We report the first formal record of the Indian meal moth Plodia interpunctella from a location within the Antarctic Treaty area, with the capture of a live adult male within the Brazilian Comandante Ferraz research station on King George Island, South Shetland Islands. This species is a well-known pest of stored products and is widely recorded in synanthropic situations such as food stores globally. No other adults or immature stages have been observed on the station. While there is no suggestion that P. interpunctella could survive or establish in the natural environment beyond the station, this observation highlights the ever-present threat of unintended anthropogenically assisted transfer of non-Antarctic species into human facilities on the continent, with some such species proving extremely difficult to eradicate if they successfully establish within these facilities.

Resveratrol supplementation during pregnancy and lactation has been associated with a reduced risk of maternal obesity, gestational diabetes mellitus , and preeclampsia. In addition, emerging evidence has shown that maternal resveratrol supplementation diminishes cardio-metabolic disorders in offspring, highlighting its role in modulating adaptative responses involving phenotypical plasticity. Therefore, it is reasonable to infer that administration of resveratrol during pregnancy and lactation periods could be considered an important nutritional intervention to decrease the risk of maternal and offspring cardio-metabolic disorders. To highlight these new insights, this literature review will summarize the understanding emerging from experimental and clinical studies about resveratrol supplementation and its capacity to prevent or minimize maternal and offspring cardio-metabolic disorders.

Many biomes still lack an overall view of their macro-functional structure (i.e., natural biogeographical regions and zones), including the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot. The effective design of protected areas depends on the spatial identification of units with ecologically distinct content, whether it be floristic, phylogenetic or functional. This study used a regionalization approach to identify the potential functional regions of the Atlantic Forest by interpolating functional data from forest remnants into the entire original occurrence area of the biome, including deforested lands. Conservation status was then estimated. Analysis of seven traits of leaf, wood, seed and plant size revealed that the biome is structured over 14 functional regions and three zones (clusters of regions). Functional regions represented specific combinations of traits rather than being characterized by extremely high or low values of a single trait. They retained an average of 29.5% of forest remnants (range: 7.63–54.66%) and 10.82% of protected areas (range: 0.35–35.78%). By analysing the functional space occupied by all regions, captured by two principal component analysis axes using the pixel-level information contained in interpolated trait maps, we showed that large parts of this space were not covered by forest remnants or protected areas and that the most represented regions had serious deficits in protected areas. Although the Serra do Mar mountain range in the south and south-east Atlantic Forest is relevant as a centre of species endemism and richness and has received considerable attention for carrying out ecological studies and creating protection areas, this range does not fully encompass the functional biodiversity of such a rich biome. Our results demonstrate the potential for combining regionalization and conservation approaches to unravel the macro-structures of biomes.