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BACKGROUND: Physician and patient-related characteristics can influence prescription of medications to older patients within primary healthcare. Use of Brazilian criteria may indicate the real prevalence of prescription of potentially inappropriate medications to this population. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate prescription of potentially inappropriate medications to older patients within primary care and identify patient-related and prescribing physician-related factors. DESIGN AND SETTING: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 22 public primary care facilities in Brazil, among older people (≥ 60 years) who were waiting for medical consultations. METHODS: Interviews were conducted before and after the medical consultations. If the patient received a medical prescription at the consultation, all the drugs prescribed and the physician's medical council registration number were recorded. Prevalence ratios were estimated to ascertain the magnitude of prescription of potentially inappropriate medications, along with patient and physician-related factors associated with such prescription. RESULTS: In total, 417 older patients were included; 45.3% had received ≥ 1 potentially inappropriate medication, and 86.8% out of 53 physicians involved had prescribed ≥ 1 potentially inappropriate medication. The strongest patient-related factor associated with higher prevalence of prescription of potentially inappropriate medications was polypharmacy. Among physician-related factors, the number of patients attended, number of prescriptions and length of medical practice < 10 years were positively associated with prescription of potentially inappropriate medications. CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence of prescription of potentially inappropriate medications was observed. Physician-related characteristics can influence prescription of medications to older people within primary healthcare. This suggests that there is a need for interventions among all physicians, especially younger physicians.

Many aquatic invertebrates are associated with surfaces, using adhesives to attach to the substratum for locomotion, prey capture, reproduction, building or defence. Their intriguing and sophisticated biological glues have been the focus of study for decades. In all but a couple of specific taxa, however, the precise mechanisms by which the bioadhesives stick to surfaces underwater and (in many cases) harden have proved to be elusive. Since the bulk components are known to be based on proteins in most organisms, the opportunities provided by advancing 'omics technologies have revolutionised bioadhesion research. Time-consuming isolation and analysis of single molecules has been either replaced or augmented by the generation of massive data sets that describe the organism's translated genes and proteins. While these new approaches have provided resources and opportunities that have enabled physiological insights and taxonomic comparisons that were not previously possible, they do not provide the complete picture and continued multi-disciplinarity is essential. This review covers the various ways in which 'omics have contributed to our understanding of adhesion by aquatic invertebrates, with new data to illustrate key points. The associated challenges are highlighted and priorities are suggested for future research.

To resist hydrodynamic forces, two main underwater attachment strategies have evolved multiple times in aquatic animals: glue-like “bioadhesive secretions” and pressure-driven “suction attachment”. In this review, we use a multi-level approach to highlight convergence in underwater attachment mechanisms across four different length-scales (organism, organ, microscopic and molecular). At the organism level, the ability to attach may serve a variety of functions, the most important being: (i) positional maintenance, (ii) locomotion, (iii) feeding, (iv) building, and (v) defense. Aquatic species that use bioadhesive secretions have been identified in 28 metazoan phyla out of the 34 currently described, while suction organs have a more restricted distribution and have been identified in five phyla. Although biological adhesives are highly diverse, it is possible to categorize them into four main types according to the time scale of operation: permanent, temporary, transitory, and instantaneous adhesion. At the organ level some common principles have evolved independently in different biological lineages: for example, animals with single-unit attachment organs can be distinguished from those with multi-unit organs. Fundamental design elements can also be recognized for both types of attachment mechanisms. Suction attachment systems comprise a circular or elliptical attachment disc, a sealing rim to prevent leakage and a mechanism to lower the internal pressure. Bioadhesive-producing organs, on the other hand, usually contain a glandular tissue associated with connective tissues or other types of load-bearing support structures and muscles that facilitate locomotion or mechanical detachment. At the microscopic level, similar designs and organizations appear once again to have emerged independently in different phylogenetic lineages. Independent of the taxon and type of adhesion, there are species in which the biosynthesis, packaging and release of adhesive secretions takes place at the level of a single type of secretory cell, whereas in others these secretions are produced by two or more secretory cell types. Duo-gland adhesive systems involved in temporary adhesion present an additional level of complexity as they also exhibit de-adhesive secretory cells. Yet, strikingly similar cellular organizations have been reported in highly disparate species. In the case of biological suction organs, regions of the organ that contact the substratum are highly textured with stiff microstructures. Although clearly non-homologous in different animals, these microstructures are thought to enhance friction on rough surfaces. At the molecular level, proteins are the main organic constituent of adhesive secretions in aquatic animals. We compared the global amino acid compositions of bioadhesives using principal component analysis to show that homologous adhesives from phylogenetically related species cluster together, and there is little overlap between taxonomic groups. However, several non-permanent adhesives are grouped together even though they belong to disparate phyla, indicating convergence in amino acid composition. We also investigated relatedness among individual adhesive proteins using a sequence similarity-based clustering analysis. While many proteins appear taxon-specific, some have clear sequence homologies based on shared protein domains between phylogenetically distant organisms. However, it is highly probable that these domains, which are also present in many non-adhesive proteins, were convergently acquired from ancestral proteins with unrelated general functions. We herein present morphological, structural, and molecular convergences between different attachment mechanisms in aquatic animals that likely arose in response to shared functional and selective pressures.

A high number of women are exposed to acetaminophen during pregnancy worldwide. This drug safety during pregnancy regarding preterm birth, birth weight, and fetal development has not been well described. This study investigated the effect of acetaminophen use during pregnancy on selected adverse pregnancy outcomes. Databases were searched to identify studies reporting the effects of acetaminophen use during pregnancy on preterm birth, low birth weight, and small for gestational age. The studies’ quality was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies. Risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated using a fixed or random‐effects model. Six studies were included for final review, four cohort and two case‐control studies. We found no increased risk of preterm birth (RR 0.97; 95% CI 0.59–1.58), and decreased risks of low birth weight (RR 0.65; 95% CI 0.59–0.72) and small for gestational age (RR 0.69; 95% CI 0.50–0.97). Acetaminophen exposure during the third trimester revealed non-significantly in the outcomes. Exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy appears to not increase the risk of the outcomes analyzed. However, there is a lack of information regarding the exposure dose and frequency of acetaminophen use.

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess older people’s knowledge of the purpose of drugs prescribed at medical appointments in primary care units and the possible factors related to their level of knowledge about their medications. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 22 basic health units in Brazil. Patients aged ≥60 years were included in this study (n=674). Knowledge of prescribed medications was assessed by comparing the responses to the questionnaire and the medication and prescription information. Multivariate analyses were conducted using the Poisson regression with robust variance. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 70.1 (standard deviation: ±7.1) years. Among 674 patients, 272 (40.4%) did not know the indication of at least 1 of their prescribed drugs; among them, 78 (11.6%) did not know the indication of any of their prescribed drugs. In the final multivariate analysis, polypharmacy, illiteracy, and cognitive impairment were found to be associated with misunderstanding the purpose of at least one prescribed drug. Moreover, illiteracy and cognitive impairment were associated with a greater misunderstanding of the purpose of all prescribed drugs. CONCLUSIONS: In the studied sample, patients demonstrated a high rate of misunderstanding of the purpose of prescribed drugs. Therefore, it is necessary for health services and professionals to implement strategies that increase the quality of the guidance and instructions given to older people in order to promote adherence to treatment.

O surgimento do vírus SARS-CoV-2 associado à sua rápida transmissão fez com que governantes de todo o mundo adotassem medidas prioritárias a fim de mitigá-lo. Apesar da importância da estruturação adequada do ambiente hospitalar para o combate à pandemia, também é necessário uma abordagem comunitária que promova a vigilância em saúde, atuação específica das equipes de Atenção Primária à Saúde. Sendo assim, pretende-se contextualizar o cenário atual e pontuar os desafios e possibilidades da Atenção Primária à Saúde frente à pandemia da COVID-19. Nos últimos anos, o SUS sofreu com um subfinanciamento crônico que foi agravado com redução e congelamento dos gastos. A Atenção Primária à Saúde no cenário da pandemia do coronavírus tem a potencialidade de se articular intersetorialmente para apoiar sua população em suas diversas vulnerabilidades. Apesar dos desafios enfrentados pela Atenção Primária à Saúde, a pandemia reafirma sua importância para o sistema de saúde e sinaliza a necessidade do seu fortalecimento, readequação e qualificação a fim de garantir a universalidade, integralidade e equidade do cuidado.

This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with drug use in pregnancy by risk categories in pregnant women from Santo Antônio de Jesus, Bahia. It is a cross-sectional cohort study with 1,091 pregnant women attended in primary health care between 2012 and 2014. Drug use during pregnancy was classified according to the FDA’s pregnancy risk classification. Prevalence ratios and respective 95% confidence intervals were adjusted by Poisson regression with robust error variance. The prevalence of drug use was more pronounced in risk categories A, B, C, D, and X, respectively. The use of safe medication was associated with education, number of prenatal consultations, and health problems after data adjustment. Age greater than 24 years, onset of prenatal care during the first trimester, and have any health problem were factors associated with the use of risk medication. Quality prenatal care is important to ensure the safe and conscious use of drugs. Furthermore, investments in continuing vocational education that promote rational antenatal drug use are needed. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar los factores asociados al uso de medicamentos en el embarazo por categorías de riesgo en gestantes del municipio de Santo Antônio de Jesus, Bahía. Se trata de un estudio transversal anidado en la cohorte prospectiva con 1.091 gestantes atendidas en atención primaria de salud entre 2012 y 2014. El uso de medicamentos durante el embarazo siguió la clasificación de medicamentos según los criterios de riesgo de la FDA. Las razones de prevalencia y sus respectivos intervalos de confianza del 95% se ajustaron mediante regresión de Poisson con varianza robusta. La prevalencia del uso de medicamentos fue más pronunciada en las categorías de riesgo A, B, C, D y X, respectivamente. Después del ajuste, el uso de medicamentos seguros se asoció con educación, número de consultas prenatales y problemas de salud. Tener más de 24 años, iniciar la atención prenatal en el primer trimestre y tener un problema de salud fueron factores asociados al uso de medicamentos de riesgo. La atención prenatal de calidad es importante para garantizar el uso seguro y consciente de los medicamentos. Además, se necesitan inversiones en educación profesional continua para promover el uso racional de los medicamentos en el período prenatal. Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar os fatores associados ao uso de medicamentos na gestação por categorias de risco em gestantes do município de Santo Antônio de Jesus, Bahia. Trata-se de um estudo transversal aninhado à coorte prospectiva com 1.091 gestantes atendidas na atenção primária à saúde entre 2012 e 2014. A utilização de medicamentos durante a gestação seguiu a classificação dos medicamentos segundo critérios de risco da FDA. As razões de prevalência e seus respectivos intervalos de confiança de 95% foram ajustados por regressão de Poisson com variância robusta. A prevalência do uso de medicamentos foi mais pronunciada nas categorias de risco A, B, C, D e X, respectivamente. Após o ajuste, o uso de medicamentos seguros foi associado à escolaridade, número de consultas pré-natal e problemas de saúde. Idade superior a 24 anos, início do pré-natal no primeiro trimestre e ter algum problema de saúde foram fatores associados ao uso de medicamentos de risco. O pré-natal de qualidade é importante para garantir o uso seguro e consciente dos medicamentos. Além disso, são necessários investimentos em educação profissional continuada que promova o uso racional de medicamentos no período pré-natal.

Sea urchins have hundreds of specialized adhesive organs, the tube feet, which play a key role in locomotion, substrate attachment and food capture. Tube feet are composed by two functional units: a proximal cylindrical stem that is mobile and flexible, attached to a distal flattened disc that produces adhesive secretions. Oral tube feet discs possess a specialized duo-glandular epidermis that produces adhesive and de-adhesive secretions, enabling strong but reversible adhesion to the substrate. Due to the growing interest in biomimetic adhesives, several studies have been carried out to characterize sea urchin adhesives, and up to date, it has been shown that it is composed by proteins and glycans. The protein fraction has been the subject of several studies, that pin-pointed several adhesion-related candidates. Contrastingly, little is known about the glycans that compose sea urchin adhesives. This study aims at contributing to this topic by focusing on the characterization of the glycosidic fraction of the adhesive secreted by the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816), using a battery of 22 lectins, applied to 3 complementary techniques. Our results show that five lectins label exclusively the disc adhesive epidermis and simultaneously the secreted adhesive, being, therefore, most likely relevant for sea urchin adhesion. In addition, it was possible to determine that the glycosidic fraction of the adhesive is composed by a high molecular weight glycoprotein containing N-acetylglucosamine oligomers.

Nausea and emesis assessment in patients undergoing chemotherapy at an oncological unit in Vitória da Conquista/BA, Brazil

A high number of women are exposed to antidepressants during pregnancy. Considering that an association between exposure to antidepressants and type 2 diabetes was found in the general population and pregnant women are inherently susceptible to insulin resistance, this study aimed to investigate data in the scientific literature on the association between antidepressant use during pregnancy and the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Virtual Health Library (VHS), and Web of Science databases were searched to identify observational studies reporting the association between antidepressant use during pregnancy and GDM. Review articles, case reports, case series, clinical trials, and animal studies were excluded. In total, 67 studies were retrieved, of which 3 were included in the systematic review: one case-control and two cohort studies. According to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, the three studies were considered high-quality. Through this systematic review, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) use during pregnancy is not significantly associated with a higher risk of developing GDM. There are still controversies about the association between serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) and GDM. The use of tricyclic, tetracyclic, and atypical antidepressants by pregnant women appears to be associated with GDM. Therefore, the available information about the topic is scarce and the condition of further studies is needed. Un alto número de mujeres están expuestas a los antidepresivos durante el embarazo. Teniendo en cuenta que hay una asociación entre la exposición a los antidepresivos y la diabetes tipo 2 en la población general y que las mujeres embarazadas son inherentemente susceptibles a la resistencia a la insulina, este estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar datos en la literatura científica sobre la asociación entre el uso de antidepresivos durante el embarazo y el riesgo de desarrollar diabetes mellitus gestacional (DMG). Esta revisión sistemática fue realizada de acuerdo con las pautas del PRISMA. Se realizaron búsquedas en las bases de datos PubMed, Biblioteca Virtual em Salud (BVS) y Web of Science para identificar estudios observacionales que informaran sobre la asociación entre el uso de antidepresivos durante el embarazo y la DMG. Se excluyeron artículos de revisión, informes de casos, series de casos, ensayos clínicos y estudios en animales. En total, se recuperaron 67 estudios, de los cuales 3 se incluyeron en la revisión sistemática: un estudio de casos y controles y dos estudios de cohortes. Según la Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, los tres estudios se consideraron de alta calidad metodológica. A través de esta revisión sistemática, el uso de inhibidores selectivos de la recaptación de serotonina (ISRS) durante el embarazo no se asocia significativamente con un mayor riesgo de desarrollar DMG. Todavía hay controversias sobre la asociación entre inhibidores de la recaptación de serotonina y norepinefrina (IRSN) y DMG. El uso de antidepresivos tricíclicos, tetracíclicos y atípicos durante el embarazo parece estar asociado con DMG. Por lo tanto, la información disponible sobre el tema es escasa y se necesitan más estudios. Um grande número de mulheres são expostas a antidepressivos durante a gravidez. Considerando que a associação entre a exposição a antidepressivos e diabetes tipo 2 foi encontrada na população geral e as gestantes são inerentemente suscetíveis à resistência à insulina, este estudo teve como objetivo investigar dados na literatura científica sobre a associação entre o uso de antidepressivos durante a gravidez e o risco de desenvolver diabetes mellitus gestacional (DMG). Esta revisão sistemática foi realizada de acordo com as diretrizes do PRISMA. As bases de dados PubMed, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS) e Web of Science foram pesquisadas para identificar estudos observacionais relatando a associação entre o uso de antidepressivos durante a gravidez e DMG. Foram excluídos artigos de revisão, relatos de casos, séries de casos, ensaios clínicos e estudos em animais. No total, 67 estudos foram recuperados, dos quais 3 foram incluídos na revisão sistemática: um caso-controle e dois estudos de coorte. De acordo com a Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, os três estudos foram considerados de alta qualidade metodológica. Por meio desta revisão sistemática, o uso de inibidores seletivos da recaptação da serotonina (ISRS) durante a gravidez não está significativamente associado a um maior risco de desenvolver DMG. Ainda há controvérsias sobre a associação entre inibidores da recaptação de serotonina e norepinefrina (IRSN) e DMG. O uso de antidepressivos tricíclicos, tetracíclicos e atípicos durante a gravidez parece estar associado ao DMG. Sendo assim, as informações disponíveis sobre o tema são escassas, sendo necessária a condução de novos estudos.

Marine bioadhesives perform in ways that manmade products simply cannot match, especially in wet environments. Despite their technological potential, bioadhesive molecular mechanisms are still largely understudied, and sea urchin adhesion is no exception. These animals inhabit wave-swept shores, relying on specialized adhesive organs, tube feet, composed by an adhesive disc and a motile stem. The disc encloses a duo-gland adhesive system, producing adhesive and deadhesive secretions for strong reversible substratum attachment. The disclosure of sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus tube foot disc proteome led to the identification of a secreted adhesion protein, Nectin, never before reported in adult adhesive organs but, that given its adhesive function in eggs/embryos, was pointed out as a putative substratum adhesive protein in adults. To further understand Nectin involvement in sea urchin adhesion, Nectin cDNA was amplified for the first time from P. lividus adhesive organs, showing that not only the known Nectin mRNA, called Nectin-1 (GenBank AJ578435), is expressed in the adults tube feet but also a new mRNA sequence, called Nectin-2 (GenBank KT351732), differing in 15 missense nucleotide substitutions. Nectin genomic DNA was also obtained for the first time, indicating that both Nectin-1 and Nectin-2 derive from a single gene. In addition, expression analysis showed that both Nectins are overexpressed in tube feet discs, its expression being significantly higher in tube feet discs from sea urchins just after collection from the field relative to sea urchin from aquarium. These data further advocate for Nectin involvement in sea urchin reversible adhesion, suggesting that its expression might be regulated according to the hydrodynamic conditions.

Background Despite extensive studies of polypharmacy in older patients, no consensus regarding the definition of this practice exists in the literature. Several studies have defined polypharmacy as problematic when considering only the numbers of medications used by patients. Objective This study aimed to assess the prevalence of polypharmacy prescribing by comparing two different definitions (quantitative and qualitative) and evaluating factors associated with this practice in older patients. Setting Twenty-three basic health units. Method A cross-sectional study involving 386 older adults who received a prescription after a medical consultation. Multivariate analyses were conducted using a Poisson regression with robust variance. Main outcome measure The main outcome measures included patients with a prescription of five or more medications (quantitative polypharmacy) and those with a prescription of five or more medications including at least one drug considered potentially inappropriate for older adults (qualitative polypharmacy). Results The frequency of quantitative polypharmacy was 20.5%. The results of an adjusted analysis showed that the frequency of quantitative polypharmacy was associated with a higher number of self-reported morbidities and the prescription of potentially inappropriate drugs. The prevalence of qualitative polypharmacy was 10.4%, and after adjustment, this outcome remained significantly associated with the presence of three or more self-reported morbidities. Conclusions The presence of multiple comorbidities was identified as the main factor associated with the prescription of both quantitative and qualitative polypharmacy.

The molecular pathways that trigger the amazing intrinsic regenerative ability of echinoderm nervous system are still unknown. In order to approach this subject, a 2D-DIGE proteomic strategy was used, to screen proteome changes during neuronal regeneration in vivo, using starfish (Asteroidea, Echinodermata) as a model. A total of 528 proteins showed significant variations during radial nerve cord regeneration in both soluble and membrane protein-enriched fractions. Several functional classes of proteins known to be involved in axon regeneration events in other model organisms, such as chordates, were identified for the first time in the regenerating echinoderm nervous system. Unexpectedly, most of the identified proteins presented a molecular mass either higher or lower than expected. Such results suggest a functional modulation through protein post-translational modifications, such as proteolysis. Among these are proteins involved in cytoskeleton and microtubule regulators, axon guidance molecules and growth cone modulators, protein de novo synthesis machinery, RNA binding and transport, transcription factors, kinases, lipid signaling effectors and proteins with neuroprotective functions. In summary, the impact of proteolysis during regeneration events is here shown, although requiring further studies to detail on the mechanisms involving this post-transcriptional event on nervous system regeneration. Biological significance The nervous systems of some organisms present a complete inability of neurons to regrow across a lesion site, which is the case of the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Expanding our knowledge on how other animals regenerate their nervous system offers great potential for groundbreaking biomedical applications towards the enhancement of mammalian CNS regeneration. In order to approach this subject, a 2D‐DIGE proteomic strategy was used for the first time, to screen the proteome changes during neuronal regeneration in vivo, using starfish (Asteroidea, Echinodermata) as a model. We strongly believe in the relevance of our results and have clear evidences that this work constitutes a solid basis for new research on starfish regenerating nerve cord. We also believe this work will have a significant impact not only on the general scientific community as we present here an alternative animal model to neurobiology, but also on the scientific community that works with echinoderms or closely related marine invertebrates, which are constantly searching for specific protein markers of several tissues, thus constituting an important advance towards the improvement of large scale protein information of unsequenced, but yet not less important organisms.

Marine organisms secrete adhesives for substrate attachment that to be effective require functional assembly underwater and displacement of water, ions, and weakly bound polyions that are ubiquitous in seawater. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of these protein/carbohydrate-based marine adhesives is imperative to decipher marine adhesion and also, to accelerate the development of new biomimetic underwater adhesives and anti-fouling agents. The present study, aims at mapping the proteome of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus adhesive organs using a combination of complementary protein separation techniques (1-D-nanoLC and 2-DE), databases and search algorithms. This strategy resulted in the identification of 328 non-redundant proteins, constituting the first comprehensive list of sea urchin tube feet proteins. Given the known importance of phosphorylation and glycosylation in marine adhesion, the 2DE proteome was re-analyzed with specific fluorescent stains for these two PTMs, resulting in the identification of 69 non-redundant proteins. The obtained results demonstrate that tube feet are unique mechano-sensory adhesive organs and highlight putative adhesive proteins, that although requiring further confirmation, constitute a step forward in the quest to decipher sea urchins temporary adhesion.

Suction has usually been regarded as the primary functional mean for attachment in sea star and sea urchin tube feet and this hypothesis has become widespread in the public knowledge. Yet, a few studies have suggested that adhesive secre­tions may also play a prominent role in tube foot attachment. Here we use a morphological and biomechanical approach to investigate the role of suction in asteroid and echinoid tube foot attachment. Microscopic observations of tube feet rapidly fixed while they were attached to a smooth substratum show that their distal surfaces are totally flat and lack a suction cavity. Detachment force and tenacity of a single tube foot appear to be independent of the pulling angle: i.e., the introduction of a shear component in the pulling force does not decrease attachment strength as would be expected for a sucker. Moreover, sea urchin tube feet attach as strongly to perforated surfaces, which preclude pressure reduction, as to their unperforated counterparts. Taken together, these results clearly show that echinoderm tube feet rely on adhesive secretions and not on suction.

Echinoderms, as invertebrate deuterostomes, have amazing neuronal intrinsic growth aptitude triggered at any time point during the animal lifespan leading to successful functional tissue regrowth. This trait is known to be in opposition to their mammal close phylogenic relatives that have lost the ability to regenerate their central nervous system. Despite the promising nature of this intrinsic echinoderm trait, it was only recently that this complex biological event started to be unveiled. In the present study, a 2DE gel-based phosphoproteomics approach was used to investigate changes in starfish neuronal protein phosphorylation states at two different wound healing time-graded events following arm tip amputation, 48 h and 13 days. Among the resolved protein spots in 3.0-5.6 NL pH IEF strips, 190, 142, and 124 had a phosphoprotein signal in the control and the two injury experimental groups, respectively. Gel image analysis, highlighted 129 spots with an injury-related protein phosphorylation dynamics, several being exclusively phosphorylated in controls (72 spots), injured nerves (8 spots) or, showing significantly different phosphorylation ratios (37 spots). Within these, a total of 43 proteins were identified with MALDI-TOF/TOF. Altogether, several intervening proteins of important injury-signaling pathways that seem to be modulated through phosphorylation, were identified for the first time in starfish radial nerve cord early regeneration events. These include cytoskeleton re-organization toward the formation of the neuronal growth cones; cell membrane rearrangements, actin filaments, and microtubules dynamics; mRNA binding and transport; lipid signaling; Notch pathway; and neuropeptide processing.

Sea urchin adoral tube feet are highly specialized organs that have evolved to provide efficient attachment to the substratum. They consist of a disk and a stem that together form a functional unit. Tube foot disk tenacity (adhesive force per unit area) and stem mechanical properties (e.g., stiffness) vary between species but are apparently not correlated with sea urchin taxa or habitats. Moreover, ultrastructural studies of sea urchin disk epidermis pointed out differences in the internal organization of the adhesive secretory granules among species. This prompted us to look for interspecific variability in the composition of echinoid adhesive secretions, which could explain the observed variability in adhesive granule ultrastructure and disk tenacity. Antisera raised against the footprint material of Sphaerechinus granularis (S. granularis) were first used to locate the origin of adhesive footprint constituents in tube feet by taking advantage of the polyclonal character of the generated antibodies. Immunohistochemical assays showed that the antibodies specifically labeled the adhesive secretory cells of the disk epidermis in the tube feet of S. granularis. The antibodies were then used on tube foot histological sections from seven other sea urchin species to shed some light on the variability of their adhesive substances by looking for antibody cross-reactivity. Surprisingly, no labeling was observed in any of the species tested. These results indicate that unlike the adhesive secretions of asteroids, those of echinoids do not share common epitopes on their constituents and thus would be “species-specific.” In sea urchins, variations in the composition of adhesive secretions could therefore explain interspecific differences in disk tenacity and in adhesive granule ultrastructure.

We describe the first proteomic characterization of the radial nerve cord (RNC) of an echinoderm, the sea star Marthasterias glacialis. The combination of 2-DE with MS (MALDITOF/TOF) resulted in the identification of 286 proteins in the RNC. Additionally, 158 proteins were identified in the synaptosomal membranes enriched fraction after 1-DE separation. The 2-DE RNC reference map is available via the WORLD-2DPAGE Portal (http:// www.expasy.ch/world-2dpage/) along with the associated protein identification data which are also available in the PRIDE database. The identified proteins constitute the first highthroughput evidence that seems to indicate that echinoderms nervous transmission relies primarily on chemical synapses which is similar to the synaptic activity in adult mammal’s spinal cord. Furthermore, several homologous proteins known to participate in the regeneration events of other organisms were also identified, and thus can be used as targets for future studies aiming to understand the poorly uncharacterized regeneration capability of echinoderms. This ‘‘echinoderm missing link’’ is also a contribution to unravel the mystery of deuterostomian CNS evolution.

Summary Saliva appears as a defence mechanism, against potential negative effects of tannins, in some species of animals which have to deal with these plant secondary metabolites in their regular diets. This study was carried out to investigate changes in parotid saliva protein profiles of sheep (Ovis aries) and goats (Capra hircus), induced by condensed tannin ingestion. Five Merino sheep and five Serpentina goats were maintained on a quebracho tannin enriched diet for 10 days. Saliva was collected through catheters inserted on parotid ducts and salivary proteins were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Matrix-assisted Laser desorption ionization – time of flight (MALDI-TOF) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were used to identify the proteins whose expression levels changed after tannin consumption. Although no new proteins appeared, quebracho tannin consumption increased saliva total protein concentration and produced changes in the proteome of both species. While some proteins were similarly altered in both species parotid salivary protein profile, sheep and goats also presented species-specific differences in response to tannin consumption.

Resumo. Objetivos: verificar a produção enzimática e a capacidade de aderência e formação de biofilme em isolados clínicos de Candida tropicalis. Material e métodos: 14 isolados provenientes de amostras clínicas obtidas de um laboratório particular de São Luís- MA, foi realizada a identificação pelo sistema automatizado VITEK (bio Mérieux). Resultados: Todos os isolados foram aderentes ao vidro e a maioria apresentou aderência moderada, 42,9% foram positivas para proteinases, 78,6% para fosfolipases, com Pz variando de 0,47 a 0,9. Todos os isolados apresentaram atividade hemolítica em meio sólido e sete isolados mostraram IH ≥ 2.0. Conclusões: Os isolados de Candida tropicalis avaliados foram capazes de aderir a superfícies inertes com padrões distintos de organização celular, onde alguns destes tipos poderiam facilitar a formação de biofilmes por estas espécies, a propriedade de aderência não está diretamente relacionada ao sítio de infecção, mas provavelmente com fatores específicos destes microrganismos e com a resposta do hospedeiro.

Sea urchins are common inhabitants of wave-swept shores. To withstand the action of waves, they rely on highly specialized independent adhesive organs, the adoral tube feet. The latter are extremely well-designed for temporary adhesion being composed by two functional subunits: (1) an apical disc that produces an adhesive secretion to fasten the sea urchin to the substratum, as well as a deadhesive secretion to allow the animal to move and (2) a stem that bears the tensions placed on the animal by hydrodynamism. Despite their technological potential for the development of new biomimetic underwater adhesives, very little is known about the biochemical composition of sea urchin adhesives. A characterization of sea urchin adhesives is presented using footprints. The latter contain inorganic residues (45.5%), proteins (6.4%), neutral sugars (1.2%), and lipids (2.5%). Moreover, the amino acid composition of the soluble protein fraction revealed a bias toward six amino acids: glycine, alanine, valine, serine, threonine, and asparagine/aspartic acid, which comprise 56.8% of the total residues. In addition, it also presents higher levels of proline (6.8%) and half-cystine (2.6%) than average eukaryotic proteins. Footprint insolubility was partially overcome using strong denaturing and reducing buffers, enabling the visualization of 13 proteins by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The conjugation of mass spectrometry with homology-database search allowed the identification of six proteins: alpha and beta tubulin, actin, and histones H2B, H3, H2A, and H4, whose location and function in the adhesive are discussed but require further investigation. For the remaining unidentified proteins, five de novo-generated peptide sequences were found that were not present in the available protein databases, suggesting that they might be novel or modified proteins.

The peculiar limpet-like morphology of the genus Colobocentrotus is unique among the regular echinoids. This shape has been interpreted as an adaptation to life in areas of extreme wave exposure. In this study the attachment strength of C. atratus is compared with that of three sympatric species, Echinometra mathaei, Heterocentrotus trigonarius and Stomopneustes variolaris, which have more typical echinoid morphology and live in different microhabitats. For each species, the adhesion of individual sea urchins was measured as well as the tenacity of single tube foot and the mechanical properties of the tube foot stems. Colobocentrotus always presented the highest measured values, although not always significantly different from those of the other species. Of the mechanical properties of the stem measured, the stem extensibility was the only property that was significantly different among species. In general the stems of all the species studied became more extensible and more difficult to break with increasing strain rate, providing an adaptative advantage to the sea urchin when subjected to rapid loads such as waves. In terms of single tube foot tenacity, C. atratus tube feet attached with a tenacity (0.54 MPa) two times higher than the one of E. mathaei, H. trigonarius and S. variolaris (0.21-0.25 MPa). Individual sea urchins of the four species, however, attached with a similar strength (0.2-0.26 MPa). The calculation of safety factors showed that it is the very high number of adoral tube feet of C. atratus and not the overall shape of the animal that allows this species to withstand very high water velocities. However, C. atratus streamlined morphology may be a functional adaptation to reduce the impact of other hydrodynamic forces (such as wave impingement forces) or to cope with other selective environmental stresses (such as dessication), and thus to inhabit extremely exposed areas of the intertidal.

SUMMARY Echinoderms attach strongly and temporarily to the substratum by means of specialized organs, the podia or tube feet. The latter consist of a basal extensible cylinder, the stem, which bears an apical flattened disc. The disc repeatedly attaches to and detaches from the substratum through adhesive and de-adhesive secretions. In their activities, echinoderms have to cope with substrata of varying degrees of roughness as well as with changing hydrodynamic conditions, and therefore their tube feet must adapt their attachment strength to these environmental constraints. This study is the first attempt to evaluate the influence of substratum roughness on the temporary adhesion of echinoderm tube feet and to investigate the material properties of their contact surface. It was demonstrated that tube foot discs are very soft (E-modulus of 6.0 and 8.1 kPa for sea stars and sea urchins, respectively), have viscoelastic properties and adapt their surface to the substratum profile. They also show increased adhesion on a rough substratum in comparison to its smooth counterpart, which is due mostly to an increase in the geometrical area of contact between the disc and the surface. Tenacity (force per unit area) increases with roughness [e.g. 0.18 and 0.34 MPa on smooth polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA), 0.21 and 0.47 MPa on rough PMMA for sea stars and sea urchins, respectively] if only the projected surface area of the adhesive footprint is considered. However, if this tenacity is corrected to take into account the actual substratum 3-D profile, surface roughness no longer influences significantly the corrected adhesion strength(e.g. 0.18 and 0.34 MPa on smooth PMMA, 0.19 and 0.42 MPa on rough PMMA for sea stars and sea urchins, respectively). It can be hypothesized that, under slow self-imposed forces, disc material behaves viscously to adapt to substratum roughness while the adhesive fills out only very small surface irregularities (in the nanometer range). It is deposited as a thin film ideal for generation of strong adhesion. Under short pulses of wave-generated forces, attached discs probably behave elastically, distributing the stress along the entire contact area, in order to avoid crack generation and thus precluding disc peeling and tube foot detachment.