Exacerbated inflammatory cellular immune response characteristics of HAM/TSP is observed in a large proportion of HTLV-I asymptomatic carriers

BACKGROUND: A small fraction of Human T cell Leukemia Virus type-1 (HTLV-I) infected subjects develop a severe form of myelopathy. It has been established that patients with HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) show an exaggerated immune response when compared with the immunological response observed in HTLV-I asymptomatic carriers. In this study the immunological responses in HAM/TSP patients and in HTLV-I asymptomatic carriers were compared using several immunological assays to identify immunological markers associated with progression from infection to disease. METHODS: Immunoproliferation assays, cytokine levels of unstimulated cultures, and flow cytometry analysis were used to evaluate the studied groups. Nonparametric tests (Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed ranks) were used to compare the difference between the groups. RESULTS: Although both groups showed great variability, HAM/TSP patients had higher spontaneous lymphoproliferation as well as higher IFN-γ levels in unstimulated supernatants when compared with asymptomatic carriers. Flow cytometry studies demonstrated a high frequency of inflammatory cytokine (IFN-γ and TNF-α) producing lymphocytes in HAM/TSP as compared to the asymptomatic group. This difference was accounted for mainly by an increase in CD8 cell production of these cytokines. Moreover, the HAM/TSP patients also expressed an increased frequency of CD28-/CD8+ T cells. Since forty percent of the asymptomatic carriers had spontaneous lymphoproliferation and IFN-γ production similar to HAM/TSP patients, IFN-γ levels were measured eight months after the first evaluation in some of these patients to observe if this was a transient or a persistent situation. No significant difference was observed between the means of IFN-γ levels in the first and second evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: The finding that a large proportion of HTLV-I carriers present similar immunological responses to those observed in HAM/TSP, strongly argues for further studies to evaluate these parameters as markers of HAM/TSP progression

Crise de abastecimento de água em São Paulo e falta de planejamento estratégico

Embora a crise no abastecimento de água na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo (RMSP) tenha se manifestado de maneira mais intensa no verão de 2013-2014, ela revela um problema crônico que vem afetando toda a Região nos últimos dez anos. Esse problema foi gerado pela falta de um planejamento estratégico que considere questões climatológicas que podem indicar, com meses de antecedência, problemas de recomposição dos níveis dos mananciais, permitindo que ações sejam empreendidas com razoável antecedência, reduzindo os impactos para a população. Este estudo mostra como é possível utilizar informações climáticas na gestão estratégica do sistema de abastecimento da RMSP.Though the crisis in the water supplying system in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (RMSP) was more intensively felt in the 2013-2014 summer, it reveals a chronic problem that has been affecting the whole RMSP for the past ten years. This problem is originated from the lack of a strategic planning that takes into consideration climate issues that could, months before, foresee problems to restore the levels of water resources, allowing measures to be implemented within a reasonable anticipation, therefore reducing the impacts on the population. This study shows how it is possible to use climate information in the strategic management of the water supply in the RMSP

Harmonical oscillator and electro-mechanical analogy: an interdiscinary experiment to high precision mass variation measurements

De forma geral, os cursos de física clássica oferecidos nas universidades carecem de exemplos de aplicações nas áreas de química e biologia, o que por vezes desmotivam os alunos de graduação destas áreas a estudarem os conceitos físicos desenvolvidos em sala de aula. Neste texto, a analogia entre os osciladores elétrico e mecânico é explorada visando possívies aplicações em química e biologia, mostrando-se de grande valia devido ao seu uso em técnicas de medição de variação de massa com alta precisão, tanto de forma direta como indireta. Estas técnicas são conhecidas como técnicas eletrogravimétricas e são de especial importância em aplicações que envolvem biossensores. Desta forma, o texto explora o estudo da analogia eletromecânica de forma interdisciplinar envolvendo as áreas de física, química e biologia. Baseado nessa analogia é proposto um experimento que permite a sua aplicação em diferentes níveis conceituais dessas disciplinas, tanto em abordagem básica como mais profunda.In general, the traditional Physics courses needs examples of the aplications of the Physics concepts in other areas such as Chemistry and Biology. This lacks tend to demotivate Chemistry and Biology students regarding to deal with Physical concepts developed in classroom. In this work, the analogy among mechanic and electric oscillators is investigated to be applied in Chemistry and Biology areas, showing to be valuable due to its aplication in techniques that aims to measure mass variation with high precision. This measure could be made in a direct or indirect way. These techniques are known as electrogravimetric techniques and they are important in biosensor aplications. Thus, this paper explores the electromechanic analogy in an interdisciplinary way involving areas like Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Based on this analogy, it is proposed an experiment that can be applied in different ways, i.e. by an basic approach or more deeper, depending on the students specific formation, in other words, Physics, Chemistry or Biology

Produtividade da palma forrageira em aleias com Gliricídia sepium sob adubação orgânica em diferentes espaçamentos no Semiárido

In the Semi-Arid region of Brazil, livestock farming is one of the main economic activities. However, the production of biomass by fodder is unstable over time due to irregular rainfall, causing an imbalance between the supply and demand of fodder to feed the herds. One of the strategies to circumvent this problem concerns the cultivation of forage palm in a consortium with leguminous tree species. The present work was carried out at the Experimental Station of the National Semiarid Institute and had the objective of evaluating the effect of spacing and organic fertilization on the growth and productivity of the forage palm in a system of alleys cropping with Gliicidia sepium. The experimental design was a randomized block design in a 3 × 4 factorial arrangement, with four replications, three spacing (2 × 1m; 1 × 1m and 1 × 0.5m) and four fertilizations (humic substances, seaweed, bocashi and Control), for 48 experimental units. The highest yields, annual increment and average annual palm increment were obtained in the 1 × 0.5m spacing. Organic fertilization did not significantly influence palm productivity. In addition to the forage produced by the gliricidia to that of the palm, the system of cultivation in alleys produced an average of 7.3 t ha-1 biomass and 14.2 meters of wood, making this system an excellent bank of protein. As a strategy to promote greater stabilization in the production of biomass for animal feed.No Semiárido brasileiro, a pecuária é uma das principais atividades econômicas. No entanto, a produção de biomassa pelas forrageiras é instável ao longo do tempo, pela irregularidade das chuvas, causando um desequilíbrio entre a oferta e demanda de forragem para alimentar os rebanhos. Uma das estratégias para contornar essa problemática diz respeito ao cultivo de Palma forrageira em consorcio com espécies arbóreas leguminosas. O presente trabalho foi realizado na Estação Experimental do Instituto Nacional do Semiárido e objetivou-se avaliar o efeito do espaçamento e adubação orgânica, sobre o crescimento e produtividade da palma forrageira em sistema de cultivo de aléias com Gliricídia sepium. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos ao acaso, em arranjo fatorial 3 × 4, sendo três espaçamentos (2 × 1 m; 1 × 1 m e 1 × 0,5 m) e quatro adubações (substâncias húmicas, algas marinhas, bocashi e controle), com quatro repetições, totalizando 48 unidades experimentais. As maiores produtividades, incremento corrente anual e o incremento médio anual da palma foram obtidas com o espaçamento 1 × 0,5 m. As adubações orgânicas, não influenciaram significativamente na produtividade da palma. Somando-se a forragem produzida pela gliricídia mais a biomassa produzida da palma forrageira, o sistema de cultivo em aléias, produziu anualmente, em média 7,3 t ha-1 de biomassa e 14,2 st de lenha, tornando este sistema em um excelente banco de proteína e fonte de energia, como estratégia para promover maior estabilização na produção de biomassa para alimentação animal

Fusarium udum revisited: a common, but poorly understood member of the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex

Fusarium udum is the causal agent of a wilt disease on pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) in tropical regions. This species shares morphological characteristics with F. oxysporum, leading to misidentification when the diagnosis is solely based on morphological markers. The sexual stage of this fungus was observed on stems of Cajanus in India and was formally described as Gibberella indica. In Brazil, a wilt disease is reported on Crotalaria, but the etiological agent has not been identified correctly so far. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the causal agent of a wilt on Crotalaria belongs to the same species pathogenic to C. cajan. Strains obtained from diseased Crotalaria spp. were characterized through molecular phylogeny of TEF, TUB and RPB2, laboratory crosses, morphological markers, and pathogenicity tests. Strains from Crotalaria from Brazil formed a well-supported clade with F. udum strains from Crotalaria and Cajanus from other countries. Strains from Brazil intercrossed among themselves and also with others from all geographic regions, and formed fertile perithecia, defining a distinct mating population inside the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex. One strain obtained from Cajanus cajan in India is indicated as epitype, and female-fertile tester strains of both mating types were selected for the identification of field isolates through sexual crosses. These results confirm that the species associated with wilt disease on Crotalaria and Cajanus is F. udum. Wilt symptoms caused by F. udum in Cr. ochroleuca are described and illustrated

Educação popular em Saúde Mental: relato de uma experiência Popular education in Mental Health: experience report

Este artigo tem o objetivo de relatar uma experiência de educação popular em Saúde Mental, no contexto do movimento de Reforma Psiquiátrica, realizada no bairro de Pernambués, território do Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Álcool e Outras Drogas, localizado no município de Salvador-BA e campo de prática dos residentes do Núcleo de Saúde Mental da Residência Multiprofissional em Saúde da Universidade do Estado da Bahia - UNEB. Tal estratégia foi viabilizada através da realização de fóruns comunitários envolvendo vários atores sociais. Adotou-se neste trabalho a metodologia da sistematização da experiência proposta por Holliday, utilizando-se, para tanto, de registros de observações em diários de campo. Ao dar voz e vez a cada participante/falante, numa relação de valorização de saber e poder, a estratégia da educação popular permitiu que os sujeitos envolvidos no processo se organizassem politicamente e participassem da construção coletiva de novos saberes e práticas no campo da Saúde Mental, condizentes com a valorização da vida em sua multiplicidade.<br>This article presents an experience of popular education in mental health in the context of the Psychiatric Reform. Such experience occurred in the district of Pernambués, territory of the Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Álcool e Outras Drogas (Center for Psychosocial Assistance Alcohol and Other Drugs), located in the city of Salvador, state of Bahia. This center is the field for the practice of interns of the Mental Health Nucleus of the Multiprofessional Health Internship of Universidade do Estado da Bahia (UNEB - University of the State of Bahia). Such strategy was enabled by the organization of community forums involving many social actors. In this work, we used the methodology of experience systematization proposed by Holliday. By giving voice and time to each speaker/participant, in equal levels of knowledge and power, the popular education strategy allowed the people involved in this process to politically organize themselves. In addition, these people participated in the collective construction of new knowledge and practices in the mental health area, in keeping with the valuation of life in its multiplicity