Immunolocalization of HLA-DR and metallothionein on amalgam tattoos

Despite studies concerning toxic reactions related to amalgam components in the literature, few studies have been devoted to evaluate local noxious effects of amalgam tattoos (AT) on biological tissues. In addition, little is known about activation of inflammatory cells by mucosa-implanted amalgam debris. Tissue reaction to AT depends on the particle size. Human leukocyte antigen DR (HLA-DR) is an activation marker of inflammatory cells associated with antigen presentation. Metallothioneins (MT) are proteins involved with metal detoxication, including mercury and silver. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the immunolocalization of HLA-DR and MT in AT with large or powdered particles. Paraffin-embedded AT tissue blocks were sectioned and subjected to immunohistochemistry for HLA-DR and MT localization. The results demonstrated a dense mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate associated with large and powdered debris and positivity for HLA-DR and MT in inflammatory cells. While blood vessel walls and connective fibers impregnated with powdered particles were negative for HLA-DR, they were positive for MT. In addition, wherever epithelial basement membrane impregnation by powdered amalgam particles was observed, a strong positivity for MT was detected. These findings demonstrate that residual elements of AT still have noxious local effects over tissues. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ RESUMOPoucos estudos têm investigado a toxicidade tecidual local das tatuagens por amálgama (TA), embora diversos trabalhos demonstrem efeitos nocivos desse material restaurador. Pouco se sabe sobre a ativação de células inflamatórias nesse tipo de lesão. A reação tecidual contra os restos de amálgama varia com o tamanho das partículas implantadas. O antígeno leucocitário humano DR (HLA-DR) está associado com a ativação de células inflamatórias, sendo relacionado à apresentação de antígeno. Metalotioneínas (MT) são proteínas envolvidas com neutralização de metais pesados, tais como mercúrio e prata. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi investigar a imunolocalização de HLA-DR e MT em TA compostas por depósitos teciduais de diferentes tamanhos. Cortes histológicos de lesões fixadas em formol e embebidas em parafina foram submetidos a técnica imunoistoquímica para a detecção dos antígenos mencionados. Os resultados demonstraram denso infiltrado inflamatório associado com partículas grandes ou pulverizadas, observando-se presença de células HLA-DR e MT positivas. Paredes de vasos sangüíneos e fibras de tecido conjuntivo impregnadas por restos de amálgama foram negativas para HLA-DR, mas positivas para MT. Impregnação da membrana basal por partículas de amálgama correspondia a forte positividade para MT no epitélio. Esses resultados demonstram a existência de efeitos nocivos locais das TA sobre os tecidos

Cochlear implant: correlation of nerve function recovery, auditory deprivation and etiology

TEMA: a Função de Recuperação do Nervo Auditivo (REC) pode ser extraída do potencial de ação das fibras neurais - ECAP (Eletrically Evoked Compound Action Potential). O ECAP pode ser influenciado pela estimulação recebida pelo nervo e pela etiologia de uma perda auditiva e, consequentemente, afetar a REC. OBJETIVO: verificar se há correlação entre REC e os fatores: etiologia, tempo de surdez e tempo de uso do AASI antes do Implante Coclear (IC). MÉTODO: estudo retrospectivo transversal. Foram coletados dados sobre etiologia, tempo de surdez, tempo de uso do Aparelho de Amplificação Sonora Individual (AASI) e REC de 50 indivíduos, 26 crianças e 24 adultos, submetidos à cirurgia de IC e usuários do dispositivo multicanal Nucleus®24. As medidas da função de recuperação do nervo auditivo foram calculadas e os pacientes foram divididos em grupos (GI: recuperação rápida, GII: recuperação intermediária e GIII: recuperação lenta) para posterior análise de relação com os demais dados coletados. RESULTADOS: a análise dos dados não mostrou correlação estatisticamente significante entre a recuperação e os aspectos pré-cirúrgicos estudados. Entretanto, foi possível observar maior concentração de ambos, crianças e adultos, nas REC intermediárias. GI não agrupou indivíduos com surdez de etiologias infecciosas, tais como a meningite, rubéola e citomegalovírus. A média de REC apresentou-se mais lenta para as etiologias infecciosas, tanto para o grupo de crianças, como para o grupo de adultos. CONCLUSÃO: não houve correlação estatisticamente significante entre função de recuperação do nervo auditivo e os fatores: etiologia, tempo de surdez e tempo de uso do AASI antes do IC.BACKGROUND: the Auditory Nerve Recovery Function (REC) may be extracted from the Electrically Evoked Compound Action Potential (ECAP). ECAP may be influenced by the stimulation received (or the deprivation of stimulation) and by the etiology of the hearing loss, consequently it might affect the REC. AIM: to verify whether there is a correlation between the REC and each of the following factors: etiology, time of auditory deprivation and time of hearing aid use before cochlear implantation (CI). METHOD: retrospective study. Data regarding etiology, time of auditory deprivation, time of hearing aid use before cochlear implantation were collected in children and adults who received a Nucleus®24. All patients who presented neural response at surgery and whose REC was assessed intraoperatively were included in this study. Fifty patients were selected, 26 children and 24 adults. Patients were divided according to the REC classification into three groups (GI: fast recovery; GII: intermediate recovery and GIII: slow recovery) to allow correlation analysis. RESULTS: data analysis did not show any statistically significant correlation between the recovery function and the pre-implant studied characteristics. Nevertheless, it was observed that there was a greater concentration of both, children and adults, in the intermediate recovery function values. GI did not present individuals with infectious etiologies, such as meningitis, rubella and cytomegalovirus. REC average scores were slower in infectious etiologies for both children and adults. CONCLUSION: there was no statistically significant correlation between the recovery function and factors such as etiology, time of auditory deprivation and time of hearing aid use prior to CI

Infratentorial hygroma secondary to decompressive craniectomy after cerebellar infarction

We present a case of expansive CSF collection in the cerebellar convexity. The patient was a 74 years old lady who one month before had suffered a cerebellar infarct complicated with acute hydrocephalus. She had good evolution after decompressive craniectomy without shunting. Fifteen days after surgery, the patient started with new positional vertigo, nausea and vomiting and a wound CSF fistula that needed ventriculoperitoneal shunt (medium pressure) because conservative treatment failed. After shunting, the fistula closed, but the patient symptoms worsened. The MRI showed normal ventricular size with a cerebellar hygroma, extending to the posterior interhemispheric fissure. The collection had no blood signal and expanded during observation. A catheter was implanted in the collection and connected to the shunt. The patient became asymptomatic after surgery, and the hygromas had disappeared in control CT at one month. This case shows an infrequent problem of CSF circulation at posterior fossa that resulted in vertigo of central origin. A higroma-ventricle-peritoneal shunt solved the symptoms of the patient

The Dynamics of Nestedness Predicts the Evolution of Industrial Ecosystems

In economic systems, the mix of products that countries make or export has been shown to be a strong leading indicator of economic growth. Hence, methods to characterize and predict the structure of the network connecting countries to the products that they export are relevant for understanding the dynamics of economic development. Here we study the presence and absence of industries at the global and national levels and show that these networks are significantly nested. This means that the less filled rows and columns of these networks' adjacency matrices tend to be subsets of the fuller rows and columns. Moreover, we show that nestedness remains relatively stable as the matrices become more filled over time and that this occurs because of a bias for industries that deviate from the networks' nestedness to disappear, and a bias for the missing industries that reduce nestedness to appear. This makes the appearance and disappearance of individual industries in each location predictable. We interpret the high level of nestedness observed in these networks in the context of the neutral model of development introduced by Hidalgo and Hausmann (2009). We show that, for the observed fills, the model can reproduce the high level of nestedness observed in these networks only when we assume a high level of heterogeneity in the distribution of capabilities available in countries and required by products. In the context of the neutral model, this implies that the high level of nestedness observed in these economic networks emerges as a combination of both, the complementarity of inputs and heterogeneity in the number of capabilities available in countries and required by products. The stability of nestedness in industrial ecosystems, and the predictability implied by it, demonstrates the importance of the study of network properties in the evolution of economic networks.Comment: 26 page

Facebook’s “Free Basics”: For or against community development?

A recent discussion on a prominent community informatics (CI) listserv revealed arguments for and against the Facebook’s Free Basics platform among researchers in the field. To continue and enrich the conversation, this study first examines the contrasting stances revealed in the CI listserv discussion and derives the CI researchers’ major concerns about the platform. Under the light of these concerns, we then explore the nature of Facebook’s Free Basics in relation to community development through analysis of one of the forefront services that Free Basics offers, i.e., Facebook. Specifically, we examine relationships between uses of Facebook and information technology (IT) identity formation and social capital. We argue that although projects operated by private companies may possess potential for supporting community development, much consideration is needed in embracing the technology solutions due to the risks and restrictions they can impose on its users. We also suggest the CI researchers to open the next round of discussion regarding ways to thoroughly assess possible flaws of Free Basics and help users of the platform make more informed decisions. IT identity is a new theory that can help shed new light on the challenges of using platforms such as Free Basics and their contribution to community development

Cytokine Production but Lack of Proliferation in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Chronic Chagas' Disease Cardiomyopathy Patients in Response to T. cruzi Ribosomal P Proteins

Background:Trypanosoma cruzi ribosomal P proteins, P2β and P0, induce high levels of antibodies in patients with chronic Chagas' disease Cardiomyopathy (CCC). It is well known that these antibodies alter the beating rate of cardiomyocytes and provoke apoptosis by their interaction with β1-adrenergic and M2-muscarinic cardiac receptors. Based on these findings, we decided to study the cellular immune response to these proteins in CCC patients compared to non-infected individuals.Methodology/Principal findings:We evaluated proliferation, presence of surface activation markers and cytokine production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated with P2β, the C-terminal portion of P0 (CP0) proteins and T. cruzi lysate from CCC patients predominantly infected with TcVI lineage. PBMC from CCC patients cultured with P2β or CP0 proteins, failed to proliferate and express CD25 and HLA-DR on T cell populations. However, multiplex cytokine assays showed that these antigens triggered higher secretion of IL-10, TNF-α and GM-CSF by PBMC as well as both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells subsets of CCC subjects. Upon T. cruzi lysate stimulation, PBMC from CCC patients not only proliferated but also became activated within the context of Th1 response. Interestingly, T. cruzi lysate was also able to induce the secretion of GM-CSF by CD4+ or CD8+ T cells.Conclusions/Significance:Our results showed that although the lack of PBMC proliferation in CCC patients in response to ribosomal P proteins, the detection of IL-10, TNF-α and GM-CSF suggests that specific T cells could have both immunoregulatory and pro-inflammatory potential, which might modulate the immune response in Chagas' disease. Furthermore, it was possible to demonstrate for the first time that GM-CSF was produced by PBMC of CCC patients in response not only to recombinant ribosomal P proteins but also to parasite lysate, suggesting the value of this cytokine to evaluate T cells responses in T. cruzi infection.Fil: Longhi, Silvia Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Atienza, Augusto. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Ramos Mejía"; ArgentinaFil: Perez Prados, Graciela. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Juan A. Fernández"; ArgentinaFil: Buying, Alcinette. Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies; Estados UnidosFil: Balouz, Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Buscaglia, Carlos Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Santos, Radleigh. Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies; Estados UnidosFil: Tasso, Laura Mónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Bonato, Ricardo. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Ramos Mejía"; ArgentinaFil: Chiale, Pablo. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Ramos Mejía"; ArgentinaFil: Pinilla, Clemencia. Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies; Estados UnidosFil: Judkowski, Valeria A.. Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies; Estados UnidosFil: Gomez, Karina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentin

Activation of Type 1 Cannabinoid Receptor (CB1R) promotes neurogenesis in murine subventricular zone cell cultures

The endocannabinoid system has been implicated in the modulation of adult neurogenesis. Here, we describe the effect of type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) activation on self-renewal, proliferation and neuronal differentiation in mouse neonatal subventricular zone (SVZ) stem/progenitor cell cultures. Expression of CB1R was detected in SVZ-derived immature cells (Nestin-positive), neurons and astrocytes. Stimulation of the CB1R by (R)-(+)-Methanandamide (R-m-AEA) increased self-renewal of SVZ cells, as assessed by counting the number of secondary neurospheres and the number of Sox2+/+ cell pairs, an effect blocked by Notch pathway inhibition. Moreover, R-m-AEA treatment for 48 h, increased proliferation as assessed by BrdU incorporation assay, an effect mediated by activation of MAPK-ERK and AKT pathways. Surprisingly, stimulation of CB1R by R-m-AEA also promoted neuronal differentiation (without affecting glial differentiation), at 7 days, as shown by counting the number of NeuN-positive neurons in the cultures. Moreover, by monitoring intracellular calcium concentrations ([Ca2+](i)) in single cells following KCl and histamine stimuli, a method that allows the functional evaluation of neuronal differentiation, we observed an increase in neuronal-like cells. This proneurogenic effect was blocked when SVZ cells were co-incubated with R-m-AEA and the CB1R antagonist AM 251, for 7 days, thus indicating that this effect involves CB1R activation. In accordance with an effect on neuronal differentiation and maturation, R-m-AEA also increased neurite growth, as evaluated by quantifying and measuring the number of MAP2-positive processes. Taken together, these results demonstrate that CB1R activation induces proliferation, self-renewal and neuronal differentiation from mouse neonatal SVZ cell cultures.Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia - Portugal [POCTI/SAU-NEU/68465/2006, PTDC/SAU-NEU/104415/2008, PTDC/SAU-NEU/101783/2008, POCTI/SAU-NEU/110838/2009]; Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian [96542]; Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologiainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Constraints on the χ_(c1) versus χ_(c2) polarizations in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

The polarizations of promptly produced χ_(c1) and χ_(c2) mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at √s=8  TeV. The χ_c states are reconstructed via their radiative decays χ_c → J/ψγ, with the photons being measured through conversions to e⁺e⁻, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the χ_(c2) to χ_(c1) yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the J/ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ decay, in three bins of J/ψ transverse momentum. While no differences are seen between the two states in terms of azimuthal decay angle distributions, they are observed to have significantly different polar anisotropies. The measurement favors a scenario where at least one of the two states is strongly polarized along the helicity quantization axis, in agreement with nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics predictions. This is the first measurement of significantly polarized quarkonia produced at high transverse momentum

Energy and indoor environmental performance of typical Egyptian offices : survey, baseline model and uncertainties

Egyptian electricity demands have increased in recent years and are projected to grow further with significant economic and social impacts. Recently, mandatory and voluntary building codes based on international standards have been increasingly adopted. The performance of existing Egyptian buildings is not well understood making the impact of these new codes uncertain. This paper aims to provide insights into existing Egyptian building performance, and elaborate a process for developing a representative model to assist in future policy. The work presented is for office buildings but intended to be widely replicable. An energy survey was carried out for 59 Egyptian offices, categorised by building service type, it was observed that energy use increases as building services increase, and existing Egyptian offices use less energy than benchmarks. A more detailed investigation for a case study office was carried out, to inform detailed model calibration. This provided insight into energy use, thermal comfort and environmental conditions, and revealed high variability in behaviours. A calibrated model was created for the case study office, then a baseline model and input parameter sets created to represent generalised performance. Future uses including assessment of the impact of codes are discussed, and further replication potentials highlighted

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes