Atypical development of the executive attention network in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

Impairment in the executive control of attention has been found in youth with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS). However, how this impairment is modified by other factors, particularly age, is unknown. Forty-six typically developing and 53 children with 22q11.2DS were tested with the attention networks task (ANT) in this cross-sectional study. We used logarithmic transform and linear modeling to assess age effects on the executive index of the ANT. Mixed modeling accounted for between subject variability, age, handedness, catecholamine-O-transferase (COMT; codon 158) genotype, and gender on performance for all experimental conditions (cue × flanker) and their two-level interactions. Children with 22q11.2DS showed a relative, age-dependent executive index impairment but not orienting or alerting network index impairments. In factorial analysis, age was a major predictor of overall performance. There was a significant effect of the 22q11.2DS on overall performance. Of note, children with 22q11.2DS are specifically vulnerable to incongruent flanker interference, especially at younger ages. We did not find an overall effect of COMT genotype or handedness. Children with 22q11.2DS demonstrated age-related impairment in the executive control of attention. Future investigation will likely reveal that there are different developmental trajectories of executive attentional function likely related to the development of schizophrenia in 22q11.2DS

Spherical Lactic Acid Bacteria Activate Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Immunomodulatory Function via TLR9-Dependent Crosstalk with Myeloid Dendritic Cells

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are a specialized sensor of viral and bacterial nucleic acids and a major producer of IFN-α that promotes host defense by priming both innate and acquired immune responses. Although synthetic Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands, pathogenic bacteria and viruses activate pDC, there is limited investigation of non-pathogenic microbiota that are in wide industrial dietary use, such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB). In this study, we screened for LAB strains, which induce pDC activation and IFN-α production using murine bone marrow (BM)-derived Flt-3L induced dendritic cell culture. Microbial strains with such activity on pDC were absent in a diversity of bacillary strains, but were observed in certain spherical species (Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Streptococcus and Pediococcus), which was correlated with their capacity for uptake by pDC. Detailed study of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis JCM5805 and JCM20101 revealed that the major type I and type III interferons were induced (IFN-α, -β, and λ). IFN-α induction was TLR9 and MyD88-dependent; a slight impairment was also observed in TLR4-/- cells. While these responses occurred with purified pDC, IFN-α production was synergistic upon co-culture with myeloid dendritic cells (mDC), an interaction that required direct mDC-pDC contact. L. lactis strains also stimulated expression of immunoregulatory receptors on pDC (ICOS-L and PD-L1), and accordingly augmented pDC induction of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ Treg compared to the Lactobacillus strain. Oral administration of L. lactis JCM5805 induced significant activation of pDC resident in the intestinal draining mesenteric lymph nodes, but not in a remote lymphoid site (spleen). Taken together, certain non-pathogenic spherical LAB in wide dietary use has potent and diverse immunomodulatory effects on pDC potentially relevant to anti-viral immunity and chronic inflammatory disease

Riscos e agravos à saúde e à vida dos trabalhadores das indústrias madeireiras de Mato Grosso Risks and injuries to the health and life of the workers of the lumber industries of Mato Grosso

Na atual fase de ocupação antrópica da Amazônia, ou desenvolvimento agroindustrial-florestal, o setor da indústria madeireira, um dos pólos da economia do Estado de Mato Grosso, provoca grande impacto negativo no ambiente e na saúde. No estudo foram analisadas as situações de risco de 1.381 indústrias e avaliados 4.381 trabalhadores dos 21.607 que laboravam durante o ano de 2000. Foi observada a precarização do trabalho em todos os locais, em graus variados, demonstrando-se que, quanto mais as indústrias se afastam das sedes dos municípios, pioram as condições de trabalho/salário/saúde. Os resultados apontaram que 11% dos trabalhadores estavam mutilados, outros 25% apresentavam outras seqüelas de acidentes de trabalho e 28% estavam com deformidades de coluna vertebral, dentre outros agravos diagnosticados. A pesquisa apontou para a máxima exploração da força de trabalho, desresponsabilização patronal com as situações de riscos e ainda a insuficiente organização dos trabalhadores e precária regulação e fiscalização do Estado, acarretando desproteção social dos trabalhadores das indústrias madeireiras nessa região, expressando a violência social estrutural dessa ocupação/destruição da Amazônia.<br>In the current phase of anthropoid occupation of the Amazonia, called agro-industrial-forest development, the sector of the lumber industry, one of polar regions of the economy of the state of Mato Grosso provokes great negative impact in the environment and the health. In the study were analyzed the conditions of risk of 1.389 industries and evaluated 4.381 workers of the total of 21.607 that worked during the year of 2000. The precaution of work was observed in all places, in varied degrees, demonstrating that yet, the more the industry is moved away from the headquarters of the cities, the conditions of work, salary and healthy becomes worse. The results had shown that 11% of the workers in active were mutilated to others 25% presented other sequels of industrial accidents and 28% were with column deformities of the vertebral column, amongst other injuries diagnosed. The research pointed with respected to the maximum exploration of the force of the work, irresponsible patron with the situation risks and still the insufficient organization of the workers from the lumber industries of this region, who express the structural social violence of this occupation and destruction of the Amazonia

Factors associated with schistosomiasis mansoni in a population from the municipality of Jaboticatubas, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Jaboticatubas is a municipality in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte which has been a target of a wide media release as "the capital of schistosomiasis" since the 1960's. In order to give support to a work based on an integrated control, we sought to identify the disease determinants at the site. A transversal study was carried out aimed at identifying prevalence rates of the disease and factors associated with the infection in the district of São José de Almeida, and two close localities, Cipó Velho and São José da Serra, all of them located in the municipality of Jaboticatubas. A parasitological survey was performed, applying the Kato-Katz method with two slides per sample in 1186 schoolchildren which represents 77% of all registered pupils in four public schools in 2001. Among these schoolchildren a number of 101 (8.6%) prooved positive for Schistosoma mansoni eggs in their stool samples. A total of 64 families, whose schoolchildren had shown to be positive for schistosomiasis, also undertook examinations. As negative control, a random sample was collected from the 206 families, whose children had proven negative for schistosomiasis. The prevalence among 270 families (1304 people) was 12%. To assess those who continued to have contact with possibly contaminated water, 1061 (81.4%) people of the 270 families were interviewed. A multivariate analysis identified the following factors associated with the infection: time of residence in the area (short period), garbage disposal (use of deserted areas), gender (male), age (from 10 to 29 years), and water contact (daily and weekly). Further analysis of these factors revealed a close correlation between water contact and the disease, with a positive significant frequency concerning almost all those items. Depending on gender and age significant variations of water contact patterns associated with leisure and professional activities were found. A malacological survey on water collections in the area identified snails of the species Biomphalaria straminea and B. glabrata. The latter showed 17 (0.6%) specimens positive for S. mansoni. Qualitative studies have complemented such evidences, which allowed us to design a reference picture and specific indicators of the disease for the local population. Those data provided the essential information to continue the development of an already ongoing educative process, as well as projects on environmental improvements

Flagellin Treatment Prevents Increased Susceptibility to Systemic Bacterial Infection after Injury by Inhibiting Anti-Inflammatory IL-10+ IL-12- Neutrophil Polarization

Severe trauma renders patients susceptible to infection. In sepsis, defective bacterial clearance has been linked to specific deviations in the innate immune response. We hypothesized that innate immune modulations observed during sepsis also contribute to increased bacterial susceptibility after severe trauma. A well-established murine model of burn injury, used to replicate infection following trauma, showed that wound inoculation with P. aeruginosa quickly spreads systemically. The systemic IL-10/IL-12 axis was skewed after burn injury with infection as indicated by a significant elevation in serum IL-10 and polarization of neutrophils into an anti-inflammatory (“N2”; IL-10(+) IL-12(−)) phenotype. Infection with an attenuated P. aeruginosa strain (ΔCyaB) was cleared better than the wildtype strain and was associated with an increased pro-inflammatory neutrophil (“N1”; IL-10(−)IL-12(+)) response in burn mice. This suggests that neutrophil polarization influences bacterial clearance after burn injury. Administration of a TLR5 agonist, flagellin, after burn injury restored the neutrophil response towards a N1 phenotype resulting in an increased clearance of wildtype P. aeruginosa after wound inoculation. This study details specific alterations in innate cell populations after burn injury that contribute to increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. In addition, for the first time, it identifies neutrophil polarization as a therapeutic target for the reversal of bacterial susceptibility after injury

Blood-feeding patterns of <it>Anopheles </it>mosquitoes in a malaria-endemic area of Bangladesh

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Blood-feeding patterns of mosquitoes are crucial for incriminating malaria vectors. However, little information is available on the host preferences of <it>Anopheles </it>mosquitoes in Bangladesh. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine the hematophagic tendencies of the anophelines inhabiting a malaria-endemic area of Bangladesh.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Adult <it>Anopheles </it>mosquitoes were collected using light traps (LTs), pyrethrum spray (PS), and human bait (HB) from a malaria-endemic village (Kumari, Bandarban, Bangladesh) during the peak months of malaria transmission (August-September). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed to identify the host blood meals of <it>Anopheles </it>mosquitoes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In total, 2456 female anopheline mosquitoes representing 21 species were collected from the study area. <it>Anopheles vagus </it>Doenitz (35.71%) was the dominant species followed by <it>An. philippinensis </it>Ludlow (26.67%) and <it>An. minimus </it>s.l. Theobald (5.78%). All species were collected by LTs set indoors (n = 1094), 19 species were from outdoors (n = 784), whereas, six by PS (n = 549) and four species by HB (n = 29). Anopheline species composition significantly differed between every possible combination of the three collection methods (χ²test, P < 0.001). Host blood meals were successfully detected from 1318 (53.66%) <it>Anopheles </it>samples belonging to 17 species. Values of the human blood index (HBI) of anophelines collected from indoors and outdoors were 6.96% and 11.73%, respectively. The highest values of HBI were found in <it>An. baimai </it>Baimaii (80%), followed by <it>An. minimus </it>s.l. (43.64%) and <it>An. annularis </it>Van den Wulp (37.50%). <it>Anopheles baimai </it>(<it>B_i</it>= 0.63) and <it>An. minimus </it>s.l. (<it>B_i</it>= 0.24) showed strong relative preferences (<it>B_i</it>) for humans among all hosts (human, bovine, goats/sheep, and others). <it>Anopheles annularis</it>, <it>An. maculatus </it>s.l. Theobald, and <it>An. pallidus </it>Theobald exhibited opportunistic blood-feeding behavior, in that they fed on either humans or animals, depending on whichever was accessible. The remaining 12 species preferred bovines as hosts.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The observed high anthropophilic nature of <it>An. baimai</it>, <it>An. minimus </it>s.l., and <it>An. annularis </it>revealed these species to be important malaria vectors in hilly areas of Bangladesh. Higher values of HBI in outdoor-resting mosquitoes indicated that indoor collection alone is not adequate for evaluating malaria transmission in the area.</p