|
Lutzomyia Longipalpis
''Lutzomyia longipalpis'' (''L. longipalpis'') is a species complex of sand fly, sandfly belonging to the family Psychodidae. This species is primarily present in Central America, Central and South America, but has also appeared in Mexico. There have been reports of ''L. longipalpis'' as far south as Argentina, as they are found in a wide variety of ecological conditions. Both males and females feed on sugars from plants and aphids, but only adult females feed on the blood of other mammals. The species has recently begun appearing in urban areas throughout Brazil, and serves as a key vessel for the propagation of the parasite ''Leishmania infantum''. The presence of these flies appears to be strongly correlated to the presence of domestic chickens in Latin America. The first major urban outbreak of the lethal ''Visceral leishmaniasis, Visceral leishmanias'' epidemic was detected in Teresina, Piauí State in the early 1980s following a massive planting of acacias.Lima, L., Mesquita, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Species Complex
In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each other, further blurring any distinctions. Terms that are sometimes used synonymously but have more precise meanings are cryptic species for two or more species hidden under one species name, sibling species for two (or more) species that are each other's closest relative, and species flock for a group of closely related species that live in the same habitat. As informal taxonomic ranks, species group, species aggregate, macrospecies, and superspecies are also in use. Two or more taxa that were once considered conspecific (of the same species) may later be subdivided into infraspecific taxa (taxa within a species, such as plant variety (botany), varieties), which may be a complex ranking but it is not a species complex. In most cases, a specie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electrophoresis
Electrophoresis is the motion of charged dispersed particles or dissolved charged molecules relative to a fluid under the influence of a spatially uniform electric field. As a rule, these are zwitterions with a positive or negative net charge. Electrophoresis is used in laboratories to separate macromolecules based on their charges. The technique normally applies a negative charge called cathode so anionic protein molecules move towards a positive charge called anode. Therefore, electrophoresis of positively charged particles or molecules (cations) is sometimes called cataphoresis, while electrophoresis of negatively charged particles or molecules (anions) is sometimes called anaphoresis. Electrophoresis is the basis for analytical techniques used in biochemistry and molecular biology to separate particles, molecules, or ions by size, charge, or binding affinity, either freely or through a supportive medium using a one-directional flow of electrical charge. It is use ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leishmania
''Leishmania'' () is a genus of parasitic protozoans, single-celled eukaryotic organisms of the trypanosomatid group that are responsible for the disease leishmaniasis. The parasites are transmitted by sandflies of the genus '' Phlebotomus'' in the Old World, and of the genus '' Lutzomyia'' in the New World. There are 53 species and about 20 of them are responsible for human infections. They are transmitted by around 100 species of sandflies. The primary hosts are vertebrates. They commonly infect hyraxes, canids, rodents, and humans. History Members of an ancient genus of ''Leishmania''-like parasites, '' Paleoleishmania'', have been detected in fossilized sand flies dating back to the early Cretaceous period. The first written reference to the conspicuous symptoms of cutaneous leishmaniasis surfaced in the Paleotropics within oriental texts dating back to the 7th century BC (allegedly transcribed from sources several hundred years older, between 1500 and 2000 BC). D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midgut
The midgut is the portion of the human embryo from which almost all of the small intestine and approximately half of the large intestine develop. After it bends around the superior mesenteric artery, it is called the "midgut loop". It comprises the portion of the alimentary canal from the end of the foregut at the opening of the bile duct to the hindgut, about two-thirds of the way through the transverse colon. In addition to representing an important distinction in embryologic development, the tissues derived from the midgut additionally have distinct vascular supply and innervation patterns in the adult gastrointestinal system. In the embryo During standard human embryonic development, the midgut undergoes a process known as physiological herniation around week 6, when rapid growth forces the midgut to temporarily exit the abdominal cavity and reside in the extra-abdominal umbilical cord. At this stage, the midgut begins its initial counterclockwise rotation around the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trypsin
Trypsin is an enzyme in the first section of the small intestine that starts the digestion of protein molecules by cutting long chains of amino acids into smaller pieces. It is a serine protease from the PA clan superfamily, found in the digestive system of many vertebrates, where it hydrolyzes proteins. Trypsin is formed in the small intestine when its proenzyme form, the trypsinogen produced by the pancreas, is activated. Trypsin cuts peptide chains mainly at the carboxyl side of the amino acids lysine or arginine. It is used for numerous biotechnological processes. The process is commonly referred to as trypsinogen proteolysis or trypsinization, and proteins that have been digested/treated with trypsin are said to have been trypsinized. Trypsin was discovered in 1876 by Wilhelm Kühne. Although many sources say that Kühne named trypsin from the Ancient Greek word for rubbing, 'tripsis', because the enzyme was first isolated by rubbing the pancreas with glass powd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Corrals
A pen is a fenced/walled open-air enclosure for holding land animals in captivity, typically for livestock but may also be used for holding other domesticated animals such as pets that are unwanted inside buildings. The term describes types of enclosures that may confine one or many animals. Construction and terminology vary depending on the region of the world, purpose, animal species to be confined, local materials used and tradition. ''Pen'' or ''penning'' as a verb refers to the act of confining animals in an enclosure. Similar terms are kraal, boma, and corrals. Encyclopædia Britannica notes usage of the term "kraal" for elephant corrals in India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Australia and New Zealand In Australia and New Zealand a ''pen'' is a small enclosure for livestock (especially sheep or cattle), which is part of a larger construction, e.g. ''calf pen'', ''forcing pen'' (or yard) in sheep or cattle yards, or a ''sweating pen'' or ''catching pen'' in a shearing shed. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phlebotomine
The Phlebotominae are a subfamily of the family Psychodidae. In several countries, their common name is sandfly, but that name is also applied to other flies. The Phlebotominae include many genera of blood-feeding (hematophagous) flies, including the primary vectors of leishmaniasis, bartonellosis, and pappataci fever. Sandflies are small; a body size of about 3 mm in length is typical for many species, which aids them in escaping notice. Their bite is not always felt, but leaves a small, round, reddish bump that starts itching hours or days later. Use of insect repellent is recommended in areas where sandflies are present. Diet and reproduction Phlebotomine sandflies have a diet that includes both blood and plant-derived sugar meals. Phlebotomine females, and only females, suck blood from various mammals, reptiles, and birds, while both sexes consume sugary substances including nectar, honeydew, and phloem sap from plants. Some species are selective about their hosts, whe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
María Dora Feliciangeli
María Dora Feliciangeli (1940 - 2017) was Professor of Medical Entomology at the University of Carabobo, Venezuela, who worked on the transmission of tropical parasites especially American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease) and leishmaniasis. She was Coordinator of the National Reference Center of Sandflies and the Medical Entomology Section. Education and personal life Feliciangeli was the daughter of Zeferino Feliciangeli and Maria Cerutti. She was born in Borgomanero and was brought up in Rieti in central Italy. She graduated with a degree in biological sciences from the Sapienza University of Rome in 1965 and moved to Venezuela with her husband. From 1977, she studied at the University of London and was awarded a PhD degree in 1982. In 1963, she married the Venezuelan José Piñero. They had three children together. She died in 2017. Career Feliciangeli first worked with insects during her first degree in Rome (Dissertation, ''Experimental research on chemosterilizers for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mitochondrial Genes
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the DNA contained in a eukaryotic cell; most of the DNA is in the cell nucleus, and, in plants and algae, the DNA also is found in plastids, such as chloroplasts. Mitochondrial DNA is responsible for coding of 13 essential subunits of the complex oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system which has a role in cellular energy conversion. Human mitochondrial DNA was the first significant part of the human genome to be sequenced. This sequencing revealed that human mtDNA has 16,569 base pairs and encodes 13 proteins. As in other vertebrates, the human mitochondrial genetic code differs slightly from nuclear DNA. Since animal mtDNA evolves faster than nuclear genetic markers, it represents a mainstay of phylogenetics and evolutionary biology. It also permits traci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dehydrogenase
A dehydrogenase is an enzyme belonging to the group of oxidoreductases that oxidizes a substrate by reducing an electron acceptor, usually NAD+/NADP+ or a flavin coenzyme such as FAD or FMN. Like all catalysts, they catalyze reverse as well as forward reactions, and in some cases this has physiological significance: for example, alcohol dehydrogenase catalyzes the oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde in animals, but in yeast it catalyzes the production of ethanol from acetaldehyde. IUBMB classification Oxidoreductases, enzymes that catalyze oxidation-reduction reactions, constitute Class EC 1 of the IUBMB classification of enzyme-catalyzed reactions. Any of these may be called dehydrogenases, especially those in which NAD+ is the electron acceptor (oxidant), but reductase is also used when the physiological emphasis on reduction of the substrate, and oxidase is used ''only'' when O2 is the electron acceptor. The systematic name of an oxidoreductase is "donor:acceptor oxidore ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NADH
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a coenzyme central to metabolism. Found in all living cells, NAD is called a dinucleotide because it consists of two nucleotides joined through their phosphate groups. One nucleotide contains an adenine nucleobase and the other, nicotinamide. NAD exists in two forms: an oxidized and reduced form, abbreviated as NAD and NADH (H for hydrogen), respectively. In cellular metabolism, NAD is involved in redox reactions, carrying electrons from one reaction to another, so it is found in two forms: NAD is an oxidizing agent, accepting electrons from other molecules and becoming reduced; with H+, this reaction forms NADH, which can be used as a reducing agent to donate electrons. These electron transfer reactions are the main function of NAD. It is also used in other cellular processes, most notably as a substrate of enzymes in adding or removing chemical groups to or from proteins, in posttranslational modifications. Because of the import ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nucleotide
Nucleotides are Organic compound, organic molecules composed of a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar and a phosphate. They serve as monomeric units of the nucleic acid polymers – deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both of which are essential biomolecules within all Life, life-forms on Earth. Nucleotides are obtained in the diet and are also synthesized from common Nutrient, nutrients by the liver. Nucleotides are composed of three subunit molecules: a nucleobase, a pentose, five-carbon sugar (ribose or deoxyribose), and a phosphate group consisting of one to three phosphates. The four nucleobases in DNA are guanine, adenine, cytosine, and thymine; in RNA, uracil is used in place of thymine. Nucleotides also play a central role in metabolism at a fundamental, cellular level. They provide chemical energy—in the form of the nucleoside triphosphates, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), guanosine triphosphate (GTP), cytidine triphosphate (CTP), and uridine triph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
