Clinical Features and Treatment of Elapidae Bites: Report of Three Cases

This report describes two accidents, involving snakes of the Micrurus corallinus species, where compromising respiratory function was not observed and the specific anti-elapidic serum was the single therapy used, and a third incident, probably involving Micrurus frontalis, where neostigmine was used to remedy respiratory failure.

Assessment of essential elements and chemical contaminants in thirteen fish species from the Bay Aratu, Bahia, Brasil

Abstract Concentrations of ten elements (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, V and Zn) were determinate in muscle tissues of 13 fish species from Aratu Bay, Bahia, Brazil by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The accuracy and precision of our results were checked by using two certified reference materials: BCR-422 cod muscle and SRM 1566b oyster tissue. The average trace element concentrations in the fish species varied in the following ranges, in μg g–1: 0.03-0.8 for Cr; 2.0-33.7 for Cu, 2.4-135.1 for Fe, 1.6-25.6 for Se; 1.6-35.1 for Sr; and 2.8-40.5 for Zn. The Diaptereus rhombeus (carapeba) specie presented the highest concentrations of Se, Cu and Fe. Chromium and Se were present at levels above the limit of tolerance allowed by the National Agency of Sanitary Vigilance (ANVISA). The results were also evaluated using the multivariate analysis techniques: principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA).

Mindfulness, self-compassion and spiritual well-being in chronic depression

Introduction

Depression is one of the main causes of incapacity worldwide. Research has shown that mindfulness practice, self-compassion promotion, and spiritual well-being are beneficial for depressed individuals.

Objective

Analyze the associations between compassion, mindfulness, and spiritual well-being, during and after a therapeutic intervention (concluded less than a year ago).

Aims

To determine if mindfulness, self-compassion, and spiritual well-being are predictors of depression.

Method

Patients diagnosed with chronic depression were treated in a residential therapeutic community for a period of six to eight months. The 63 participants (M = 32.84, SD = 10.24, range = 15–50 years old; 32 during treatment; 31 after treatment) were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory, the Questionnaire of the Five Facets of Mindfulness, the Self-Compassion Scale, and the Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire.

Results

There were differences in mindfulness, self-compassion, spiritual well-being and depression by sex, existence of previous psychiatric treatment, moment of the study (during versus after intervention), and depression levels. After intervention the group had higher levels of mindfulness and self-compassion (common humanity) and lower levels of over-identification, compared with group during treatment. The predictors of depression were the self-judgment dimension of the self-compassion scale and, negatively, the mindfulness dimensions of non-reactivity and non-judging, and the spiritual well-being dimension of personal well-being.

Conclusion

Results confirm the relationship between the study variables and depression. This reinforces the importance of intervention based on positive psychology enhancing positive areas of human experience, rather than focusing on psychological pain, weaknesses, and disabilities.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Distribution of trace elements in tissues of shrimp species Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931) from Bahia, Brazil

In this study, concentrations of trace elements in tissues of shrimp species (Litopenaeus vannamei) from farming and zone natural coastal located in the northeastern Brazil were investigated. The elements determination was performed by optical emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP OES). The following ranges of concentrations in the tissues were obtained in µg g-1 dry weight: Al: 13.4-886.5, Cd: 0.93-1.80; Cu: 24.8-152; Fe: 3.2-410.9; Mn: 0.36-24.4; Se: 0.094-9.81 and Zn: 20.3-109.4. The shrimp muscle can be a good iron source (about 88.9 mg-1g dry weight). The distribution of Se concentration in tissues showed much variation between locations, and the concentration levels found in shrimp muscles of wild samples were high, where its levels in 67% of muscle and 50% of others tissues samples exceeded the ANVISA limit, indicating evidence of selenium bioaccumulation. Significant correlation was observed between the following pairs of elements: Fe-Zn (r= -0.70), Mn-Cu (r= -0.74), Se-Cu (r= -0.68), Se-Mn (r= 0.82) in the muscles; Fe-Al (r= 0.99), Mn-Al (r= 0.62), Mn-Fe (r= 0.62), Se-Al (r = 0.88), Se-Fe (r= 0.87), Se-Mn (r= 0.58) in the exoskeleton and Cu-Zn (r = 0.68), Al-Cu (r= 0.88), Fe-Cu (r= 0.95) and Fe-Al (r= 0.97) in the viscera.

Oxidation of free, peptide and protein tryptophan residues mediated by AAPH-derived free radicals: role of alkoxyl and peroxyl radicals

When AAPH is employed as a free radical source, at low concentrations of free, peptide and protein Trp residues, the oxidation is mostly induced by alkoxyl radicals. However, at high concentrations, both peroxyl and alkoxyl radicals are involved.

Transactivation activity and nucleocytoplasmic transport of β-catenin are independently regulated by its C-terminal end

The key protein in the canonical Wnt pathway is β-catenin, which is phosphorylated both in absence and presence of Wnt signals by different kinases. Upon activation in the cytoplasm, β-catenin can enter into the nucleus to transactivate target gene expression, many of which are cancer-related genes. The mechanism governing β-catenin's nucleocytoplasmic transport has been recently unvealed, although phosphorylation at its C-terminal end and its functional consequences are not completely understood. Serine 646 of β-catenin is a putative CK2 phosphorylation site and lies in a region which has been proposed to be important for its nucleocytoplasmic transport and transactivation activity. This residue was mutated to aspartic acid mimicking CK2-phosphorylation and its effects on β-catenin activity as well as localization were explored. β-Catenin S6464D did not show significant differences in both transcriptional activity and nuclear localization compared to the wild-type form, but displayed a characteristic granular nuclear pattern. Three-dimensional models of nuclei were constructed which showed differences in number and volume of granules, being those from β-catenin S646D more and smaller than the wild-type form. FRAP microscopy was used to compare nuclear export of both proteins which showed a slightly higher but not significant retention of β-catenin S646D. Altogether, these results show that C-terminal phosphorylation of β-catenin seems to be related with its nucleocytoplasmic transport but not transactivation activity.