The Role of the European Society of Human Genetics in Delivering Genomic Education

The European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) was founded in 1967 as a professional organisation for members working in genetics in clinical practice, research and education. The Society seeks the integration of scientific research and its implementation into clinical practice and the education of specialists and the public in all areas of medical and human genetics. The Society works to do this through many approaches, including educational sessions at the annual conference; training courses in general and specialist areas of genetics; an online resource of educational materials (EuroGEMS); and a mentorship scheme. The ESHG Education Committee is implementing new approaches to expand the reach of its educational activities and portfolio. With changes in technology, appreciation of the utility of genomics in healthcare and the public's and patients' increased awareness of the role of genomics, this review will summarise how the ESHG is adapting to deliver innovative educational activity.

Social behavior between mothers x young of sloths Bradypus variegatus Schinz, 1825 (Xenarthra: Bradypodidae)

This study is a contribution to the ex situ and in situ conservation and preservation of Sloths. The behavioral records of the social interaction between mothers and offspring allow the detection of important learning interactions and psychomotor development. The results provide valuable information that may assist in improving management conditions of captive orphan progeny. They also favor a more effective monitoring of released or transferred specimens. Age is of fundamental importance in deciding what is important during the release, transfer, or reintroduction of the species.

Ascomycetous yeast communities of marine invertebrates in a southeast Brazilian mangrove ecosystem

The ascomycetous yeast communities associated with 3 bivalve mollusk, and 4 crab species were studied in the mangrove at Coroa Grande on Sepetiba Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. These were made up mostly of diverse but sparse and apparently allochtonous yeast populations. The striking exception was a prevalent population of the species Kluyveromyces aestuarii, which predominated the yeast communities of 2 detritus feeding crabs, Sesarma rectum and Uca spp., and the shipworm Neoteredo reynei. However, K. aestuarii was absent from the omnivorous crabs Aratus pisonii and Goniopsis cruentata, and the clam Anomalocardia brasiliana, and was rare in the clam Tagelus plebeius from mostly submerged more sandy sediments. Pichia membranaefaciens, Candida valida-like, Candida krusei, Candida sorbosa, Candida colliculosa-like, Candida famata-like, Kloeckera spp., Candida guilliermondii, Candida albicans, Candida silvae, Geotrichum spp., Rhodotorula spp., Cryptococcus spp., and the methylotrophic yeast Candida boidinii were frequently isolated. The 322 ascomycetous yeast cultures representing 252 isolates from crabs and mollusks were classified as 40 species that fit standard descriptions, and 44 putative new species. The ascomycetous yeast communities of the mangrove ecosystem include many new biotypes that require better taxonomic definition.

Yeasts and coliform bacteria of water accumulated in bromeliads of mangrove and sand dune ecosystems of southeast Brazil

Yeasts and coliform bacteria were isolated from water that accumulated in the central cups and adjacent leaf axilae of two bromeliads, Neoregelia cruenta of a coastal sand dune and Quesnelia quesneliana of a mangrove ecosystem near the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The mean total coliform counts were above 10,000 per 100 mL for waters of both plants, but the mean fecal coliform counts were only 74 per 100 mL for Q. quesneliana and mostly undetected in water from N. cruenta. Of 90 fecal coliform isolates, 51 were typical of Escherichia coli in colony morphology and indol, methyl red, Volges-Proskauer, and citrate (IMViC) tests. Seven representatives of the typical E. coli cultures were identified as this species, but the identifications of nine other coliform bacteria were mostly dubious. The yeast community of N. cruenta was typical of plant surfaces with basidiomycetous yeasts anamorphs, and the black yeast Aureobasidium pullulans was prevalent. Quesnelia quesneliana had a substantial proportion of ascomycetous yeasts and their anamorphs, including a probable new biotype of Saccharomyces unisporus. Our results suggested that the microbial communities in bromeliad waters are typically autochtonous and not contaminants.

[Klüver-Bucy syndrome caused by viral encephalitis. Report of a case]

A case of peculiar form of Klüver-Bucy syndrome is reported. The diagnosis of viral meningoencephalitis was made by the clinical features and by cerebrospinal fluid and histological examination (brain biopsy). The computed tomography and electroencephalographic aspects are analysed. The viral meningoencephalitis was possibly herpetic in nature (herpes simplex virus). The patient here concerned, a woman aged twenty-one years old, during the clinical course of the disease showed insatiable appetite, psychic blindness, oral tendencies, aberrant sexual behavior and hypermetamorphopsia (Klüver-Bucy syndrome). The significance of these features is discussed.