The Federal University of Pará (Portuguese: Universidade Federal do Pará, UFPA) is one of the three public universities maintained by the Brazilian federal government in the state of Pará. It was ranked as the 15th largest Brazilian university in a 2011 academic ranking by the number of enrollments. The university has over 40,000 students enrolled in its courses, which are offered across its many campuses in the cities of Belém, Abaetetuba, Altamira, Ananindeua, Bragança, Castanhal, Cametá, Capanema, Breves, Tucuruí and Soure. Among UFPA research teams, there are many nationally recognized groups, particularly in the fields of genetics, parasitology, tropical diseases and geosciences. The Federal University of Pará is the largest university in the North region of Brazil by enrollment and is a reference in the areas of Biomedical Sciences and Biology research, this last one mainly because of the Amazon Rainforest.
The Amazon rainforest represents nearly 40
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of atenolol administration on salivary gland structure, redox status, and sialochemical composition in male rats. Male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus), aged 90 days, were randomly assigned to two groups: a control group receiving distilled water and an atenolol-treated group receiving 20 mg/kg/day by orogastric gavage for 30 days. On day 31, the animals were anesthetized, saliva was collected, and the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands were harvested for oxidative, morphometric, histopathological, and biochemical analyses. The results showed no systemic changes in plasma parameters. However, atenolol administration was associated with local redox imbalance in salivary glands, accompanied by alterations in salivary biochemistry, including reduced antioxidant capacity and increased pro-oxidant markers (lipid peroxidation and protein carbonylation). Morphological analysis revealed acinar atrophy in all glands, as well as reduced stroma and collagen fibers in the parotid and submandibular glands. Sialochemical analysis demonstrated decreased levels of total protein, mucin, and phosphate, along with increased calcium concentration. Atenolol use was associated with sialochemical disturbances and structural alterations in salivary glands, accompanied by inflammatory cell presence and changes in oxidative stress markers in both tissue and saliva, suggesting potential implications for oral health.
In this study, we update the phylomitogenomic relationships of Hediste (Annelida, Polychaeta, Nereididae), with the inclusion of Hediste sinesimplex as a recently described species from the Mediterranean and Northeast Atlantic. Phylogenetic inference using maximum likelihood, based on 13 Protein-Coding Genes (PCGs) from nereidid species, confirms the position of the recently described H. sinesimplex within the genus Hediste showing a closed relationship with the sympatric Hediste diversicolor. We also describe the complete mitochondrial genome of H. sinesimplex which is composed by of 15,876 bp genome size, with a GC content of 34.4
This study aimed to investigate the biochemical and morphological effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) and supplementation with clarified açaí on the submandibular glands in a chemically induced oral mucositis model in rats. Methods: 102 rats were divided into five groups- control: no induction of oral mucositis (OM); untreated group: OM induction, no treatment; PBM: OM induction and laser application (660 nm, 100 mW, 0.24 J, 2.4 s per point, 8 J/cm2 and in contact only at the OM site, bilaterally); açaí: OM induction and supplementation with clarified açaí; and PBM + açaí: OM induction and combination of the two treatments mentioned above. Oral mucositis was chemically induced by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on days 0 (60 mg/kg) and 2 (40 mg/kg). PMB and supplementation with clarified açaí (dose of 1 ml/100 g body weight) were used from day 0 of the experiment until euthanasia. On days 0 (control group), 8, 10, and 14 (intervention groups), submandibular glands were collected for analysis, with the right side used for oxidative biochemical analysis and the left side for histological analysis. A two-way statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed, followed by Tukey's post-hoc test (p < 0.05). Results: PMB, alone or in combination with clarified açaí, significantly increased antioxidant capacity levels and showed significantly lower levels of lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide metabolites compared to the control group (p < 0.0001). Morphologically, PBM, alone or combined with clarified açaí, maintained parenchyma, stroma, and acinar structures similar to the control group, which was not subjected to OM induction. Conclusion: It was experimentally demonstrated that PBM, when used alone or combined with clarified açaí, resulted in improved antioxidant response, in addition to providing glandular protection against structural damage caused by chemotherapy.
Metatranscriptomic analysis of Wyeomyia confusa mosquitoes collected in the Atlantic Forest (Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo, Brazil) led to the identification of a previously uncharacterized virus, designated Wyeomyia confusa Lispivirus (WcLispV-SP), classified within the family Lispiviridae, genus Canmovirus. The viral genome consists of a negative-sense single-stranded RNA (ssRNA−) of 12,698 nucleotides, encoding six open reading frames (ORFs): nucleoprotein (N), two hypothetical proteins (HP/1 and HP/2), glycoprotein (G), ORFan protein, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp-L). Phylogenetic analysis supports the classification of WcLispV-SP as a distinct species within the genus Canmovirus. Structural analysis of the RdRp revealed conserved domains and catalytic motifs characteristic of members of the order Mononegavirales, supporting its functional integrity. These findings expand the known diversity of the Lispiviridae family and highlight the utility of metagenomic approaches for the discovery and characterization of RNA viruses associated with Neotropical sylvatic mosquitoes.
