While many laboratory and field studies show that zooplankton are negatively affected when exposed to high intensities of ultraviolet radiation (UVR), most studies also indicate that zooplankton are well adapted to cope with large variations in their UVR exposure in the pelagic zone of lakes. The response mechanisms of zooplankton are diverse and efficient and may explain the success and richne...

Natural selection shapes behaviour in all organisms, but this is difficult to study in small, millimetre-sized, organisms. With novel labelling and tracking techniques, based on nanotechnology, we here show how behaviour in zooplankton (Daphnia magna) is affected by size, morphology and previous exposure to detrimental ultraviolet radiation (UVR). All individuals responded with immediate downwa...

Daily photoprotection (PhP) is essential in preventing harmful effects from solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure. For that reason, we interviewed students aged 4 to 20 years old about their knowledge on sun exposure and PhP habits. Age, sex, family income, skin phototype were statistically related the proposed questions. Our results show Brazilian youngsters do not have habit of wearing l...

Compulsive tanning despite awareness of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) carcinogenicity may represent an "addictive" behavior. Many addictive disorders are associated with alterations in dopamine (D2/D3) receptor binding and dopamine reactivity in the brain's reward pathway. To determine if compulsive tanners exhibited neurobiologic responses similar to other addictive disorders, this study assesse...

BACKGROUND Based on the hypothesis that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure can cause DNA damage that may activate dormant viruses such as human papilloma virus, a recent ecological study, which estimated state-level UVR exposure, reported positive correlations between annual UVR exposure and the incidence of oral, pharyngeal, and cervical cancer in 16 U.S. states using the International Agenc...

It is now well established that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) may have detrimental, even lethal effects on zooplankters. Unlike copepods and other holoplankters, which may avoid UVR by undergoing diel vertical migration, larvae of many decapod crustaceans and fishes recruit to adult populations by remaining in near-surface waters during the daytime. Consequently, they are exposed to biologically ...

Vitamin D is synthesised by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of skin and is hypothesized to be a direct mediator of the immunosuppression that occurs following UV radiation (UVR) exposure. Both UVR and vitamin D drive immune responses towards tolerance by ultimately increasing the suppressive activities of regulatory T cells. To examine a role for UVR-induced vitamin D, vitamin D(3)-deficient mice ...

Although the exact cause of multiple sclerosis (MS) is unknown, a number of genetic and environmental factors are thought to influence MS susceptibility. One potential environmental factor is sunlight and the subsequent production of vitamin D. A number of studies have correlated decreased exposure to UV radiation (UVR) and low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) [25(OH)D(3)] levels with an increased ...

The combined effects of increased temperature and solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR, 280–400 nm) on M. aeruginosa cultures was analyzed in terms cell abundance, reactive oxygen nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), antioxidant activity catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione S transferase (GST), fatty acids (FA) content lipid damage. After 12 days exposure to high (29 °C), cells were expos...

Introduction: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation affects human organs such as skin, eyes and immune system, as well as animals and plants. The main natural source of UV radiation is the Sun. To study the effects of solar UV radiation there is a need to quantify variations of solar energy received on the earth surface at different intervals. Materials and Methods: To measure UV radiation a broadband fib...