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The kallikrein–kinin system has been implicated in body weight and glucose homeostasis. Their major effectors act by binding to the kinin B2 and B1 receptors. It was assessed the role of the kinin B1 receptor in weight and glucose homeostasis in B1 receptor knockout mice (B1RKO) subjected to a cafeteria diet (CAF). Wild-type (WT) and B1RKO male mice (C57BL/6 background; 8 weeks old) were fed a standard diet (SD) or CAF for 14 weeks, ad libitum , and four groups were formed: WT-SD; B1RKO-SD; WT-CAF; B1RKO-CAF. Body weight and food intake were assessed weekly. It was performed glucose tolerance (GTT) and insulin tolerance tests (ITT), and HOMA-IR, HOMA-β and HOMA-β* 1/HOMA-IR were calculated. Islets from WT and B1RKO were isolated in order to measure the insulin secretion. Western blot was used to assess the hepatic AKT phosphorylation and qPCR to assess gene expression. CAF induced a higher body mass gain in B1RKO compared to WT mice. CAF diet increased epididymal fat depot mass, hepatic fat infiltration and hepatic AKT phosphorylation in both genotypes. However, B1RKO mice presented lower glycemic response during GTT when fed with CAF, and a lower glucose decrease in the ITT. This higher resistance was overcomed with higher insulin secretion when stimulated by high glucose, resulting in higher glucose uptake in the GTT when submitted to CAF, despite lower insulin sensitivity. Islets from B1RKO delivered 4 times more insulin in 3-month-old mice than islets from WT. The higher insulin disposition index and high insulin delivery of B1RKO can explain the decreased glucose excursion during GTT. In conclusion, CAF increased the β-cell function in B1RKO mice, compensated by the diet-induced insulin resistance and resulting in a healthier glycemic response despite the higher weight gain.

Most paramyxoviruses circumvent the IFN response by blocking IFN signaling and limiting the production of IFN by virus-infected cells. Here we report that the highly conserved cysteine-rich C-terminal domain of the V proteins of a wide variety of paramyxoviruses binds melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (mda-5) product. mda-5 is an IFN-inducible host cell DExD/H box helicase that contains a caspase recruitment domain at its N terminus. Overexpression of mda-5 stimulated the basal activity of the IFN-β promoter in reporter gene assays and significantly enhanced the activation of the IFN-β promoter by intracellular dsRNA. Both these activities were repressed by coexpression of the V proteins of simian virus 5, human parainfluenza virus 2, mumps virus, Sendai virus, and Hendra virus. Similar results to the reporter assays were obtained by measuring IFN production. Inhibition of mda-5 by RNA interference or by dominant interfering forms of mda-5 significantly inhibited the activation of the IFN-β promoter by dsRNA. It thus appears that mda-5 plays a central role in an intracellular signal transduction pathway that can lead to the activation of the IFN-β promoter, and that the V proteins of paramyxoviruses interact with mda-5 to block its activity.

Introduction Marginal ulcers are the most prevalent endoscopic abnormality after RYGB. The etiology is still poorly understood; however, an increase in acid secretion has been strongly implicated as a causal agent. Although gastrin is the greatest stimulant of acid secretion, to date, the presence of gastrin producing G cells retained in the gastric pouch, related to the occurrence of marginal ulcers, has not been evaluated. Objective Evaluate the density of G cells and parietal cells in the gastric pouch of RYGB patients with a diagnosis of marginal ulcer on the post-op EGD. Method We retrospectively evaluated 1104 gastric bypasses performed between 2010 and 2020. Patients with marginal ulcer who met the inclusion criteria and controls were selected from this same population. Endoscopic gastric pouch biopsies were evaluated using immunohistochemical study and HE staining to assess G cell and parietal cell density. Results In total, 572 (51.8%) of the patients performed endoscopic follow-up after RYGB. The incidence of marginal ulcer was 23/572 (4%), and 3 patients required revision surgery due to a recalcitrant ulcer. The mean time for ulcer identification was 24.3 months (2–62). G cell count per high-power field (× 400) was statistically higher in the ulcer group ( p  < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in parietal cell density between groups ( p 0.251). Conclusion Patients with a marginal ulcer after gastric bypass present a higher density of gastrin-producing G cells retained in the gastric pouch. Graphical Abstract

Living with extremely low-income is an important risk factor for HIV/AIDS and can be mitigated by conditional cash transfers. Using a cohort of 22.7 million low-income individuals during 9 years, we evaluated the effects of the world’s largest conditional cash transfer, the Programa Bolsa Família , on HIV/AIDS-related outcomes. Exposure to Programa Bolsa Família was associated with reduced AIDS incidence by 41% (RR:0.59; 95%CI:0.57-0.61), mortality by 39% (RR:0.61; 95%CI:0.57-0.64), and case fatality rates by 25% (RR:0.75; 95%CI:0.66-0.85) in the cohort, and Programa Bolsa Família effects were considerably stronger among individuals of extremely low-income [reduction of 55% for incidence (RR:0.45, 95% CI:0.42-0.47), 54% mortality (RR:0.46, 95% CI:0.42-0.49), and 37% case-fatality (RR:0.63, 95% CI:0.51 −0.76)], decreasing gradually until having no effect in individuals with higher incomes. Similar effects were observed on HIV notification. Programa Bolsa Família impact was also stronger among women and adolescents. Several sensitivity and triangulation analyses demonstrated the robustness of the results. Conditional cash transfers can significantly reduce AIDS morbidity and mortality in extremely vulnerable populations and should be considered an essential intervention to achieve AIDS-related sustainable development goals by 2030. Brazil has operated a conditional cash transfer program to support families living in precarious conditions since 2004. Here, the authors use linked administrative and health data to investigate the impacts of the program on HIV/AIDS-related outcomes, demonstrating strong positive associations.

The effect of saxitoxins (STX) on phytoplankton species is poorly understood. To date, no correlation between STX concentrations and phytoplankton physiology has been reported. We investigated the effect of STX (STX+, 0.5–10 μg L ⁻¹ total STX) and non-STX (STX−, 0.5–10 μg L ⁻¹ total STX biomass equivalent) extracts of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii on Microcystis wesenbergii BCCUSP11, Microcystis aeruginosa BCCUSP232 (microcystin producing), Scenedesmus acuminatus UFSCar036, and Monoraphidium convolutum CMEA/UFF0201 under controlled laboratory conditions. Both STX+ and STX− extracts inhibited the cell density and specific growth rate of M. wesenbergii, M. aeruginosa, and S. acuminatus. However, the effect of STX+ extract on the phytoplankton strains was significantly higher than that of STX− extract. M. convolutum, on the other hand, was tolerant as both STX+ and STX− extracts did not significantly reduce its cell density and specific growth rate (day⁻¹). The exposure of M. aeruginosa to STX+ and STX− resulted in higher total (intracellular and extracellular) microcystin concentration than the control. STX concentrations had a significant negative correlation with cell density and growth response of the phytoplankton strains investigated in this study. Conclusions can be made that although both STX+ and STX− extracts of C. raciborskii inhibited the growth of some phytoplankton species, the STX+ extracts were more toxic.

Natural ecosystems near agricultural landscapes may provide rich environments for growing crops. However, the effect of a natural ecosystem on crop health and fruit quality is poorly understood. In the present study, it was investigated whether the presence of a natural ecosystem surrounding a crop area influences banana plant health and fruit postharvest behavior. Plants from two conventional banana crop areas with identical planting time and cultural practices were used; the only difference between banana crop areas is that one area was surrounded by a natural forest (Atlantic forest) fragment (Near-NF), while the other area was inserted at the center of a conventional banana crop (Distant-NF). Results showed that bananas harvested from Near-NF showed higher greenlife and a more homogeneous profile during ripening compared to fruits harvested from Distant-NF. Differences in quality parameters including greenlife, carbohydrate profile, and pulp firmness between fruits harvested from Near-NF and Distant-NF are explained, at least partly, by differences in the balance of plant growth regulators (indole-3-acetic acid and abscisic acid) in bananas during ripening. Furthermore, plants from Near-NF showed a lower severity index of black leaf streak disease (BLSD) and higher levels of phenolic compounds in leaves compared to plants from Distant-NF. Together, the results provide additional evidence on how the maintenance of natural ecosystems near conventional crop areas could be a promising tool to improve plant health and fruit quality.

Knowing the influence of long-term N fertilization is a key aspect in improving the yield of most crops, including sugarcane ( Saccharum spp.). We aimed to assess the effect of N-fertilizer sources and rates on sugarcane yield, biomass partitioning, juice quality, nutrient accumulation, and N efficiency in acid soils. Two field experiments were carried out in southeastern Brazil for consecutive five years. Six N-fertilizer managements [ammonium nitrate and urea at a rate of 100 kg N ha − 1 (AN100 and UR100, respectively), calcium ammonium nitrate at a rate of 50, 100, 150, and 200 kg N ha − 1 (CAN50, CAN100, CAN150, and CAN200, respectively)] were applied to acidic soils. Nitrogen fertilization did not affect sugarcane and sugar yields at the site with previous rotation with peanut ( Arachis hypogea ) before crop replanting. Conversely, at the site under continuous monoculture, AN100, CAN100, and CAN150 showed increases of 7–25% in sugarcane and sugar yields, and 3–7% in Brix and recoverable total sugar content. We conclude that in responsive sites, fertilizer N additions improve crop yield and juice quality, although high N inputs in the long term (> 100 kg N ha − 1 ) can reduce sugarcane sustainability. Similarly, non-responsive sites can exhibit substantial economic losses and environmental pollution. Identifying responsive and non-responsive sites to fertilizer N is required for improving N use efficiency and reducing environmental risks and economic losses.

The relationship between pests and natural enemies using multivariate analysis on cotton in different spacing has not been documented yet. Using multivariate approaches is possible to optimize strategies to control Aphis gossypii at different crop spacings because the possibility of a better use of the aphid sampling strategies as well as the conservation and release of its natural enemies. The aims of the study were ( i ) to characterize the temporal abundance data of aphids and its natural enemies using principal components, ( ii ) to analyze the degree of correlation between the insects and between groups of variables (pests and natural enemies), ( iii ) to identify the main natural enemies responsible for regulating A. gossypii populations, and ( iv ) to investigate the similarities in arthropod occurrence patterns at different spacings of cotton crops over two seasons. High correlations in the occurrence of Scymnus rubicundus with aphids are shown through principal component analysis and through the important role the species plays in canonical correlation analysis. Clustering the presence of apterous aphids matches the pattern verified for Chrysoperla externa at the three different spacings between rows. Our results indicate that S. rubicundus is the main candidate to regulate the aphid populations in all spacings studied.

The additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model has been proposed for the analysis of genotype–environmental data. For plant breeding, the recovery of pattern might be considered to be the principal objective of analysis. However, some problems still remain with the analysis, notably in selecting the number of multiplicative components in the model. Methods based on distributional assumptions do not have a sound methodological basis, while existing data‐based approaches do not optimize the cross‐validation process. This paper first summarizes the AMMI model and outlines the available methodology for selecting the number of multiplicative components to include in it. Then two new methods are described that are based on a full “leave‐one‐out” procedure optimizing the cross‐validation process. Both methods are illustrated and compared on some unstructured multivariate data. Finally, their applications to analysis of genotype × environment interaction (GEI) are demonstrated on experimental grain yield data. Conclusions of the study are that the “leave‐one‐out” procedure is preferable in practice to either distributional F‐test or cross‐validation randomization methods, and of the two “leave‐one‐out” procedures the Eastment‐Krzanowski method exhibits the greater parsimony and stability.

The oviposition behavior of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) and natural parasitism of this pest by Trichogramma spp. at different phenological stages of corn were evaluated under field conditions. The distribution of S. frugiperda eggs varied according to the phenological stage of the corn. The preferred site for oviposition was the lower region of the plant and the abaxial leaf surface during the early development stages of the crop (4-6 leaves), changing to the middle and upper regions of the plant and the adaxial leaf surface at subsequent stages (8-10 and 12-14 leaves). A larger number of egg masses, and, therefore, of eggs was collected at the 4-6 and 8-10 leaf stages compared to plants in the 12-14 leaf stages. Natural parasitism was low, with a maximum of 2.21% eggs parasitized, especially on the lower and middle parts of the plant. The distribution and degree of parasitism by Trichogramma spp. on different regions of the plant were independent of the developmental stage of the crop. Trichogramma pretiosum Riley was the most frequent parasitoid, found in 93.79% of the parasitized eggs, followed by Trichogramma atopovirilia Oltman & Platner, with 2.07%.