Uma causa rara de tumefação axilar

Axillary swelling is a common condition in pediatric age. The most common diagnosis is lymph node swelling, but it can also be caused by soft tissue tumors, vascular lesions, or inflammation of sweat glands. In rare cases, it can be due to ectopic breast tissue (EBT). A 14-year-old female presented with right axillary pain with one year of evolution and swelling for the past two months, gradually increasing in size, especially during menstruation. Sonography revealed EBT in both axillae, and further study showed duplication of the excretory system in both kidneys. The tissue on the right axilla was excised. EBT should be considered in the differential diagnosis of axillary swelling in adolescents and young females. When the diagnosis is established, the presence of associated urologic anomalies should be investigated. Clinicians should be aware that EBT can undergo the same pathological changes as normally located breast tissue. Surgical removal should be considered for cosmetic and prophylactic treatment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rhamnolipids inhibit aflatoxins production in Aspergillus flavus by causing structural damages in the fungal hyphae and down-regulating the expression of their biosynthetic genes

Aflatoxins are hepatotoxic and carcinogenic fungal secondary metabolites that usually contaminate crops and represent a serious health hazard for humans and animals worldwide. In this work, the effect of rhamnolipids (RLs) produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa #112 on the growth and aflatoxins production by Aspergillus flavus MUM 17.14 was studied in vitro. At concentrations between 45 and 1500 mg/L, RLs reduced the mycelial growth of A. flavus by 2340% and the production of aflatoxins by 93.999.5%. Purified mono-RLs and di-RLs exhibited a similar inhibitory activity on fungal growth. However, the RL mixture had a stronger inhibitory effect on aflatoxins production at concentrations up to 190 mg/L, probably due to a synergistic effect resulting from the combination of both congeners. Using transmission electron microscopy, it was demonstrated that RLs damaged the cell wall and the cytoplasmic membrane of the fungus, leading to the loss of intracellular content. This disruptive phenomenon explains the growth inhibition observed. Furthermore, RLs down-regulated the expression of genes aflC, aflE, aflP and aflQ involved in the aflatoxins biosynthetic pathway (6.4, 44.3, 38.1 and 2.0-fold, respectively), which is in agreement with the almost complete inhibition of aflatoxins production. Overall, the results herein gathered demonstrate for the first time that RLs could be used against aflatoxigenic fungi to attenuate the production of aflatoxins, and unraveled some of their mechanisms of action.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER 000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. The authors also acknowledge the support of the i3S Scientific Platform Histology and Electron Microscopy (HEMS), member of the PPBI (PPBI POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022122). A.I. Rodrigues and L. Abrunhosa acknowledge FCT for the grant SFRH/BD/111600/2015 and the Assistant Research contract CEECIND/00728/2017, respectively.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Alkyl-Glycerol Rescues Plasmalogen Levels and Pathology of Ether-Phospholipid Deficient Mice

A deficiency of plasmalogens, caused by impaired peroxisomal metabolism affects normal development and multiple organs in adulthood. Treatment options aimed at restoring plasmalogen levels may be relevant for the therapy of peroxisomal and non-peroxisomal disorders. In this study we determined the in vivo efficacy of an alkyl glycerol (AG), namely, 1-O-octadecyl-rac-glycerol, as a therapeutic agent for defects in plasmalogen synthesis. To achieve this, Pex7 knockout mice, a mouse model for Rhizomelic Chondrodysplasia Punctata type 1 characterized by the absence of plasmalogens, and WT mice were fed a control diet or a diet containing 2% alkyl-glycerol. Plasmalogen levels were measured in target organs and the biochemical data were correlated with the histological analysis of affected organs. Plasmalogen levels in all peripheral tissues of Pex7 KO mice fed the AG diet for 2 months normalized to the levels of AG fed WT mice. In nervous tissues of Pex7 KO mice fed the AG-diet, plasmalogen levels were significantly increased compared to control fed KO mice. Histological analysis of target organs revealed that the AG-diet was able to stop the progression of the pathology in testis, adipose tissue and the Harderian gland. Interestingly, the latter tissues are characterized by the presence of lipid droplets which were absent or reduced in size and number when ether-phospholipids are lacking, but which can be restored with the AAG treatment. Furthermore, nerve conduction in peripheral nerves was improved. When given prior to the occurrence of major pathological changes, the AG-diet prevented or ameliorated the pathology observed in Pex7 KO mice depending on the degree of plasmalogen restoration. This study provides evidence of the beneficial effects of treating a plasmalogen deficiency with alkyl-glycerol

Peripheral nervous system plasmalogens regulate Schwann cell differentiation and myelination

Rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata (RCDP) is a developmental disorder characterized by hypotonia, cataracts, abnormal ossification, impaired motor development, and intellectual disability. The underlying etiology of RCDP is a deficiency in the biosynthesis of ether phospholipids, of which plasmalogens are the most abundant form in nervous tissue and myelin; however, the role of plasmalogens in the peripheral nervous system is poorly defined. Here, we used mouse models of RCDP and analyzed the consequence of plasmalogen deficiency in peripheral nerves. We determined that plasmalogens are crucial for Schwann cell development and differentiation and that plasmalogen defects impaired radial sorting, myelination, and myelin structure. Plasmalogen insufficiency resulted in defective protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation and subsequent signaling, causing overt activation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) in nerves of mutant mice. Treatment with GSK3β inhibitors, lithium, or 4-benzyl-2-methyl-1,2,4-thiadiazolidine-3,5-dione (TDZD-8) restored Schwann cell defects, effectively bypassing plasmalogen deficiency. Our results demonstrate the requirement of plasmalogens for the correct and timely differentiation of Schwann cells and for the process of myelination. In addition, these studies identify a mechanism by which the lack of a membrane phospholipid causes neuropathology, implicating plasmalogens as regulators of membrane and cell signaling.We thank Paula Sampaio for microscopy support, Paula Magalhdes for genotyping, and Isabel Carvalho, Sofia Lamas, and Fatima Martins for excellent animal care. We are grateful to P. Brophy (University of Edinburgh) for the DRP2 antibody and to M. Baes (K.U. Leuven) for providing the Gnpat mouse strain. This work was funded by the Research Foundation of the European Leukodystrophy Association (ELA 2008-009C4, ELA 2010-042C5), by FEDER Funds through the Operational Competitiveness Program - COMPETE, and by national funds through the FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia under the project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-015970 (PTDS/SAU-ORG/112406/2009). P. Brites is an FCT Investigator, and T. Ferreira da Silva was supported by the FCT (SFRH/BD/88160/2012)

Longer-term effectiveness of a heterologous coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine booster in healthcare workers in Brazil

Abstract Objective: To compare the long-term vaccine effectiveness between those receiving viral vector [Oxford-AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1)] or inactivated viral (CoronaVac) primary series (2 doses) and those who received an mRNA booster (Pfizer/BioNTech) (the third dose) among healthcare workers (HCWs). Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study among HCWs (aged ≥18 years) in Brazil from January 2021 to July 2022. To assess the variation in the effectiveness of booster dose over time, we estimated the effectiveness rate by taking the log risk ratio as a function of time. Results: Of 14,532 HCWs, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was confirmed in 56.3% of HCWs receiving 2 doses of CoronaVac vaccine versus 23.2% of HCWs receiving 2 doses of CoronaVac vaccine with mRNA booster (P < .001), and 37.1% of HCWs receiving 2 doses of ChAdOx1 vaccine versus 22.7% among HCWs receiving 2 doses of ChAdOx1 vaccine with mRNA booster (P < .001). The highest vaccine effectiveness with mRNA booster was observed 30 days after vaccination: 91% for the CoronaVac vaccine group and 97% for the ChAdOx1 vaccine group. Vacine effectiveness declined to 55% and 67%, respectively, at 180 days. Of 430 samples screened for mutations, 49.5% were SARS-CoV-2 delta variants and 34.2% were SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants. Conclusions: Heterologous COVID-19 vaccines were effective for up to 180 days in preventing COVID-19 in the SARS-CoV-2 delta and omicron variant eras, which suggests the need for a second booster

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

Contains fulltext : 172380.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Short-term responses of soil microbial communities to changes in air temperature, soil moisture and UV radiation

We analyzed the effects on a soil microbial community of short-term alterations in air temperature, soil moisture and ultraviolet radiation and assessed the role of invertebrates (species Enchytraeus crypticus) in modulating the community’s response to these factors. The reference soil, Lufa 2.2, was incubated for 48 h, with and without invertebrates, under the following conditions: standard (20 °C + 50% water holding capacity (WHC)); increased air temperature (15 °C–25 °C or 20 °C–30 °C + 50% WHC); flood (20 °C + 75% WHC); drought (20 °C + 25% WHC); and ultraviolet radiation (UV) (20 °C + 50% WHC + UV). BIOLOG EcoPlates and 16S rDNA sequencing (Illumina) were used to assess the microbial community’s physiological profile and the bacterial community’s structure, respectively. The bacterial abundance (estimated by 16S rDNA qPCR) did not change. Most of the conditions led to an increase in microbial activity and a decrease in diversity. The structure of the bacterial community was particularly affected by higher air temperatures (20 °C–30 °C, without E. crypticus) and floods (with E. crypticus). Effects were observed at the class, genera and OTU levels. The presence of invertebrates mostly resulted in the attenuation of the observed effects, highlighting the importance of considering microbiome–invertebrate interactions. Considering future climate changes, the effects described here raise concern. This study provides fundamental knowledge to develop effective strategies to mitigate these negative outcomes. However, long-term studies integrating biotic and abiotic factors are needed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

BraX-Ray: an X-ray of the Brazilian computer science graduate programs.

Research productivity assessment is increasingly relevant for allocation of research funds. On one hand, this assessment is challenging because it involves both qualitative and quantitative analysis of several characteristics, most of them subjective in nature. On the other hand, current tools and academic social networks make bibliometric data web-available to everyone for free. Those tools, especially when combined with other data, are able to create a rich environment from which information on research productivity can be extracted. In this context, our work aims at characterizing the Brazilian Computer Science graduate programs and the relationship among themselves. We (i) present views of the programs from different perspectives, (ii) rank the programs according to each perspective and a combination of them, (iii) show correlation between assessment metrics, (iv) discuss how programs relate to another, and (v) infer aspects that boost programs' research productivity. The results indicate that programs with a higher insertion in the coauthorship network topology also possess a higher research productivity between 2004 and 2009