Premolis semirufa (Walker, 1856) Envenomation, Disease Affecting Rubber Tappers of the Amazon: Searching for Caterpillar-Bristles Toxic Components

Pararama, the popular name of the larval form of the moth Premolis semirufa inhabits rubber plantations in the Amazon region and the accidental contact of the skin with the caterpillar's bristles or cocoons results in immediate and intense heat, pain, edema, and itching. In many cases a chronic inflammatory reaction with immobilization of the joints occurs. The current study has evaluated the biological and immunochemical characteristics of the Pararama caterpillar bristles extract. Electrophoretic analysis showed the presence of several components, including a very intense 82 kDa band. This latter component was endowed with intense gelatinolytic activity, as observed in zymography assays. Further analysis revealed that the extract also contained hyaluronidase activity but is devoid of phospholipase A2 activity. In vivo assays, using mice, showed that the extract was not lethal, but caused significant edema and induced intense infiltration of inflammatory cells to the envenomation site. The extract also induced high specific antibody titers, but no autoantibodies were detected. The data obtained, so far, demonstrate the existence of a mixture of different enzymes in the bristles of Premolis semirufa caterpillar, which can act together in the generation and development of the clinical manifestations of the Pararama envenomation

Measurement and interpretation of same-sign W boson pair production in association with two jets in pp collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents the measurement of fducial and diferential cross sections for both the inclusive and electroweak production of a same-sign W-boson pair in association with two jets (W±W±jj) using 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis is performed by selecting two same-charge leptons, electron or muon, and at least two jets with large invariant mass and a large rapidity diference. The measured fducial cross sections for electroweak and inclusive W±W±jj production are 2.92 ± 0.22 (stat.) ± 0.19 (syst.)fb and 3.38±0.22 (stat.)±0.19 (syst.)fb, respectively, in agreement with Standard Model predictions. The measurements are used to constrain anomalous quartic gauge couplings by extracting 95% confdence level intervals on dimension-8 operators. A search for doubly charged Higgs bosons H±± that are produced in vector-boson fusion processes and decay into a same-sign W boson pair is performed. The largest deviation from the Standard Model occurs for an H±± mass near 450 GeV, with a global signifcance of 2.5 standard deviations

Search for dark photons in rare Z boson decays with the ATLAS detector

A search for events with a dark photon produced in association with a dark Higgs boson via rare decays of the standard model Z boson is presented, using 139     fb − 1 of √ s = 13     TeV proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The dark boson decays into a pair of dark photons, and at least two of the three dark photons must each decay into a pair of electrons or muons, resulting in at least two same-flavor opposite-charge lepton pairs in the final state. The data are found to be consistent with the background prediction, and upper limits are set on the dark photon’s coupling to the dark Higgs boson times the kinetic mixing between the standard model photon and the dark photon, α D ϵ 2 , in the dark photon mass range of [5, 40] GeV except for the Υ mass window [8.8, 11.1] GeV. This search explores new parameter space not previously excluded by other experiments

Combined measurement of the Higgs boson mass from the H → γγ and H → ZZ∗ → 4ℓ decay channels with the ATLAS detector using √s = 7, 8, and 13 TeV pp collision data

A measurement of the mass of the Higgs boson combining the H → Z Z ∗ → 4 ℓ and H → γ γ decay channels is presented. The result is based on 140     fb − 1 of proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector during LHC run 2 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV combined with the run 1 ATLAS mass measurement, performed at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, yielding a Higgs boson mass of 125.11 ± 0.09 ( stat ) ± 0.06 ( syst ) = 125.11 ± 0.11     GeV . This corresponds to a 0.09% precision achieved on this fundamental parameter of the Standard Model of particle physics

Identificação de enfermidades agudas causadas por animais e plantas em ambientes rurais e litorâneos: auxílio à prática dermatológica Identification of acute diseases caused by animals and plants in wild environments: contribution to dermatologic practice

FUNDAMENTOS: Nos últimos anos, existe um aumento progressivo do contato de moradores urbanos com ambientes selvagens devido a atividades de lazer. Com isso, algumas dermatites pouco conhecidas podem ser observadas nas clínicas privadas e ambulatórios dermatológicos, especialmente nos inícios de semana e finais de férias. OBJETIVOS: Obter e fornecer informações para dermatologistas sobre o problema. PACIENTES E MÉTODOS: O autor observou, em adultos e crianças, dermatites agudas associadas a plantas ou animais em Ubatuba, cidade litorânea de São Paulo, por dois meses (junho/julho de 2006) e na Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, também por dois meses (junho/julho de 2007). RESULTADOS: Foram observados 25 pacientes na área rural e 43 na área litorânea nas condições estabelecidas. Em áreas rurais, foram mais observadas fitofotodermatites e picadas de insetos, enquanto em áreas litorâneas traumas por ouriços-do-mar e fitofotodermatites predominaram; entretanto, em ambas as áreas ocorreram outros acidentes de difícil identificação na prática diária. CONCLUSÕES: Devemos estar atentos ao fato de o paciente procurar o dermatologista somente após as fases agudas dos acidentes. Informações sobre as enfermidades mais comuns e suas características podem ser muito úteis para a prática nos consultórios. O autor sugere uma tabela algorítmica para auxílio diagnóstico.<br>BACKGROUND: In recent years, there has been increasing contact between human beings that live in urban regions and the wild environment due to a series of activities. As a result, some poorly known dermatitis may present in private and dermatological clinics, especially early in the week and at the end of vacation periods. OBJECTIVES: To obtain and provide information for dermatologists on the problem. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The author observed adult and pediatric patients with acute dermatitis associated with plants or animals in Ubatuba, coastal city of Sao Paulo for 2 months (June / July 2006) and Medical School of Botucatu (June / July 2007). RESULTS: We observed 25 patients in the rural area and 43 in the coastal environment. In rural areas, the most common dermatitis were phytophotodermatitis and the stings of insects and in coastal areas, sea urchin injuries and phytophotodermatitis, but in both areas there were some other accidents that were difficult to identify by regular daily practice. CONCLUSION: We should be alert to the fact that patients seek a dermatologist after the acute phase of injuries. Information on the most common diseases and their characteristics can be very useful to practice in ermatologic clinics. The author suggests an algorithm to support diagnosis

Tungiasis: a neglected disease causing severe morbidity in a shantytown in Fortaleza, state of Ceará

The parasitic skin disease tungiasis, caused by the jigger flea Tunga penetrans, is endemic in low-income communities in Brazil. In this study, inhabitants of a shantytown in Fortaleza, northeastern Brazil, who had an elevated parasite load, were identified. The number of lesions, localization, staging and associated diseases were recorded. The 142 individuals identified were living in extremely precarious housing conditions. A total of 3,445 lesions located on the feet were counted (median = 17 lesions; maximum = 98 lesions). Almost without exception, the individuals had nail deformation and edema, and more than 70% presented with pain and fissures. There was nail loss in 46%; deformation of the digits in 25%; abscesses in 42%; and complaints of walking difficulty in 59%. Our data show that tungiasis in this low-income urban community typical of northeastern Brazil was associated with severe morbidity. Tungiasis needs to be recognized as a public health problem in this study area and other similar endemic areas